In which my Best Friend turns into a Woman
by GuideLudwig
Summary: Robin expected many things when he woke up in the middle of a field. Finding that his best friend had become a woman was not one of them. (M!Robin/F!Chrom)
1. Chapter 1

"RETURN TO ME… COME… WE ARE ONE… AND THE SAME!"

Robin stared at his evil doppelganger, slight amusement in his eyes. The man was absolutely unaffected by the world-ender's words and instead raised his right hand towards the Fell Dragon, Grima.

"No thanks." Electricity writhed around the tactician's arm as he fired a beam of condensed yellow lightning from his bare hand. The blast ripped through the battlefield, which was currently the back of the Fell Dragon, and landed directly onto the man's overly-violent doppelganger.

"ARRRRGH!" Grima yelled. Electricity painfully course through his body, losing his balance and forcing him to collapse onto one knee. The Fell Dragon growled, greatly affected by the powerful Thoron, whilst glaring hatefully at Shepard's tactician.

Said tactician returned the glare with a smile and a mock wave, much to the world-ending dragon's anger.

Robin looked to the side to find his best friend and Exalt of Ylisse, Chrom, staring wide-eyed at the tactician's magical prowess. Robin continued to stare at his bestie for a good five seconds before clearing his throat to garner the Exalt's attention. "Chrom, maybe you should…" Robin allowed his words to hang in the air as he gestured towards his friend's legendary sword, Falchion. He then proceeded to make a stabbing motion towards the reeling Fell Dragon.

"O-Oh right…" Chrom shook his head to relieve himself from his momentary stupor and took a deep breath. One second later, the Exalt was charging headfirst towards the world-ender with his inspiring battlecry filling the air.

"I'm being helpful!"

"ARROGANT MORTAL… DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE YOU CAN SLAY A GOD?!"

Robin chuckled at his best friend's display. " _Never change you amazing bastard you._ "Robin thought fondly.

Chrom quickly closed the distance between him and Grima. "This ends now!" The Exalt roared before he plunged his Falchion into the Fell Dragon's chest.

Grima roared in agony as the Naga-blessed sword tore apart the dragon's innards. "MERE… WORM!" The Fell Dragon snarled. His hands grabbed the blade of the sword, using every ounce of his strength to desperately remove the object that had pierced his body. Chrom briefly struggled against the dragon's immense strength, but held firm as the Falchion had already taken its toll on the world-ender.

Soon Grima's grip of the sword laxed and his arms fell to his side. He sent one final glare at Chrom before his form was enveloped by a blinding light, signaling his defeat and forced slumber for the next millenia. The Shepherds looked away from the light, in hopes of avoiding blindness. All shied away from the light, except for Robin.

The tactician allowed a sad smile to grace his lips as he continued to look towards the light, a sight he has become increasingly familiar with as of late.

"Here we go again." Robin muttered as the light began to seemingly enveloped the entire world, him along with it.

The white light that Robin knew so intimately was soon replaced by a great, blue sky. The tactician was currently on his back in the middle of a field in Ylisse. The very same field he woke up from so long ago. Robin stared at the sky for a good minute before lazily raising his right hand.

The Mark of Grima, still prominently on the back of his hand.

Upon seeing the Fell Brand, Robin showed no reaction whatsoever. He didn't glare, didn't groan, didn't yell, didn't sigh. The tactician did nothing but stare at the brand with the most neutral expression a person could humanly muster.

" _There was a time where I would've reacted angrily upon seeing this mark._ " Robin thought to himself, allowing his hand to fall to this side. " _A time where I still had hope that I would one day escape this endless cycle and continue to live my life as I see fit._ "

A sudden wave of drowsiness took over his senses, forcing his eyes to close as he waited for sleep to take him.

" _Now… I just want to rest._ "

* * *

Robin wordlessly counted five whole minutes before he heard three pairs of footsteps coming towards his location. " _Right on time…_ " The tactician groan internally, silently lamenting on the lack of sleep.

"Chrom, we have to do something!" A shrill voice that only Lissa can hope to replicate, filled the air.

"What do you propose we do?" An unfamiliar, feminine voice followed. Robin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as his ears picked up the unfamiliar voice.

" _Is that Chrom?_ " The tactician thought to himself, eyes still closed. " _Those are certainly the same words he's said over my past lives, but why does he sound so feminine? Is this the life where Chrom hasn't hit puberty yet?_ " The tactician silently laughed to himself, finding the impossible notion absolutely ridiculous. All Chroms from his previous lives were all the same, no matter what.

"I… I dunno…" Lissa's shrill voice returned, obviously showing clear concern for the tactician's well being and uncertainty on what to do in this situation. Before anyone else could respond, Robin decided to add his own thoughts.

"Maybe you could keep quiet!" Robin growled, feigning annoyance from the back-and-forth. "I'm trying to sleep here Nagadamnit!" To drive the point home, Robin turned to his side and curled himself into a tight ball.

A brief silence took over before a gruff voice, that could only belong to the one and only Freddybear, decided to speak up. "A grumpy fellow isn't he?"

The same unfamiliar, feminine voice made its appearance once again. This time it started with a good-natured chuckle at the tactician's display before words came into fruition.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know. Here, give me your hand." The person offered their hand for the tactician.

Robin's eyebrows furrowed once again in confusion. " _Those were the exact same lines that Chrom had used, but that couldn't be Chrom… could it?_ " The tactician took a moment to collect himself before raising his hand and blindly grabbing the air, trying to haphazardly find the offered hand.

"Er… I suppose so… " Robin muttered as he finally grasped the offered hand. The tactician allowed said hand to pull him up to his feet. Once he found his balance, he opened his eyes to greet the person.

"Thank yo-" Robin stopped himself as he finally took in the person who had offered their hand. His eyes widened to size of dinner plates and his mouth suddenly became dry, only managing to rasp out one word.

"CHROM?!"

In front of Robin was a young woman that couldn't be older than eighteen. She had a shock of long, blue hair and even bluer eyes that would put the ocean and sky to shame. The woman was adjourned with a dark, blue tunic, with the right sleeve completely missing. Couple with a white cape and a single, silver pauldron that rested on the woman's left shoulder. The outfit clearly mirrored that of the Chroms he had met before, but what really drove it home was what was on the woman's right shoulder and the weapon she had sheath.

The Brand of the Exalt was displayed proudly on the woman's right shoulder. Only the Ylissean royal family will are capable of having this brand surface on their skin. Seeing as the woman had chosen to display the brand, and all of its regal glory, confirms her royal lineage. Not only that, her weapon was also a dead giveaway. The woman wielded the legendary sword, Falchion, that could only be wielded by those with the blood of the exalt. Throughout Robin's multiple lives, he had only witnessed two people who wielded Falchion.

One of them being an overly-serious girl who has the tendency to cross-dress as other men. The other wielder being his best friend, Chrom.

"Ah, then you know who I am?" The woman smiled at the tactician, inadvertently confirming that she was indeed the Chrom that Robin knew and loved. Chrom's smile dropped slightly. "However, I don't believe we've met before. May I know your name, friend?"

The only response she got was garbled mess of words that were too incoherent to decipher.

Robin frantically eyed the two other individuals who were also present during his internal ordeal. His gaze first snapped towards the youngest sibling of the Ylissean royalty, Lissa. Her blonde, golden hair was done up into two twin pigtails. She wore an expensive-looking, yellow dress and held a staff made for healing. Most importantly however, she was the same gender as before!

Robin gaze flickered towards the designated nanny of the Shepherds, Frederick. The tall knight had a mop of brown hair and brown eyes that were dangerously narrowed onto the tactician's every movement. Seeing that the knight's natural skepticism was thankfully constant, the tactician proceeded to thoroughly examine the armor he wore. Thankfully, he didn't find any feminine, armor pieces, such as a boob plate or the aversion to wearing pants.

The tactician's examination of his two closest friends didn't exactly answer any questions, in fact, it raised even more!

The major one being, why the hell did my best friend turn into a woman?! With Lissa and Frederick being the same as ever, it didn't make sense why this Chrom was a woman while in the previous incarnations she was always a he!

It would at least make an iota of sense if this was the life where all of Robin's friends were the opposite gender. Then again, why would this life be different when all previous lives remained consistent? It was as if this was some sort of weird dre-

" _Dream! This has to be some weird dream!_ " Robin silently cheered, elated that he had finally found a reason for his current situation, even if it was admittedly pretty weak. Just as Robin's elation appeared, it was replaced by a sudden sense of horror.

" _Why the hell am I dreaming about Chrom as a woman?! Have I had repressed, romantic feelings for my best friend and this was the only way to act upon them?! Oh Naga… or was it my mind subconsciously reenacting one of the many pornographic scenarios that I had mistakenly read in Sumia's salacious diary?!"_

"Are you ok? You seem pale." Chrom said in worryment as she reached out and placed a hand on Robin's cheek.

" _Oh Naga it was happening!_ " Robin yelled frantically within his mind. " _I refuse to be dominated by my best friend!_ "

The tactician ripped himself away from the princess's grip and sped towards the great knight. Said knight's eyes widen when he saw the tactician closing the distant at a remarkable speed, prompting him to reach for his silver lance. He would have skewered the tactician were it not for said tactician stopping his charge.

"Frederick! I need you to punch me in the face right now!" Frederick narrowed his eyes at the tactician.

"How do you know my na-"

"Forgot it! I'll do it myself!" With that Robin clenched his right hand and punched himself in the face. The self-inflicted blow effectively knocked the tactician out cold.

The three Shepherds stared at the unconscious tactician for a few moments before Lissa turned to her older sister.

"Chrom, we have to do something!"

* * *

" _What a strange course of events._ " Chrom mused to herself as she walked alongside Lissa and Frederick.

The princess's eyes flickered to the unconscious form that was haphazardly tossed onto the knight's horse, courtesy of the knight himself.

The stranger had snow, white hair and from what she observed when he was conscious, chocolate, brown eyes. The man wore clothing that mostly consisted of the color beige and purple. He was also equipped with a bronze sword and a thunder tome, a rare combination seeing as not many could effectively wield both a tome and sword at the same time. However, what stood out the most was the cloak he wore.

The cloak was of Plegian design.

Plegia is a country with landscapes that primarily consists of desert. The inhabitants of Plegia emphasizes the worship of the Fell Dragon, Grima. Such worship has led to aggressive altercations with its neighboring country, Ylisse. Due to the two countries violent pasts, it was a surprise to find a plegian sleeping soundly in the middle of a field of Ylisse.

Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick had just finished a patrol and were making their way back to the capital. Only to stop once Lissa spotted a lone figure laying in the middle of a field. Doing his title of "The Wary" proud, Frederick had advised against approaching the sleeping figure, more-so when noticing the man's Plegian cloak.

Being the person she is, Chrom had ignored Frederick's warnings. When the man in the Plegian cloak came into view, she saw a person who was in need of help. She did not see a person who was about to ambush her just because the man wore a Plegian cloak. No matter who that person is, if she sees someone in need of aid, she will try her best to help.

Thankfully, Chrom found that the man was not in need of help or a Plegian spy. Instead she was met with a man who was simply taking a nap.

Though the man was admittedly odd. Two fine examples of the man's peculiarity being how he looked at her as if he's seen a ghost or how he had willingly punch himself in the face. Nevertheless, Chrom is a woman of her word and she vows to help anyone in need.

" _Even if the person had willing inflict the injury on himself._ " The princess ended her thoughts with a chuckle. She sent another glance towards the Plegian and saw that he was stirring from his slumber.

Chrom quickly signalled Frederick to stop his horse whilst she approached the waking form with Lissa in tow. "Are you alright?"

"Urgh…" The Plegian grumbled, rubbing the drowsiness out of his eyes. "Tell me you caught the person who punched me… I have some choice words for the bastard." Chrom felt her lips tug upwards at the statement.

"Sorry! The person managed to get away!" Lissa giggled.

"Nagadamnit…" The man sighed. "What a way to start the day." Once the man finished rubbing his eyes, he turned towards Chrom. The man examined the princess for two seconds before his eyes widened in surprise.

The Plegian proceeded to mutter to himself, something along the lines of 'not a dream', and made his way off the knight's horse. Once he caught his bearings, he began dusting his cloak of all the grime and dirt.

"You never answered my question from before." Chrom voiced, garnering the Plegian's attention. "May I know your name, friend?"

The man sent a look towards the princess, though not one of hostility, but more as if he expected the restated question. "Is this an interrogation?"

"No, no, no it's just out of curiosity sake." Chrom raised her hands in defense and smiled. "Can you blame me? It's not everyday that I would come across a sleeping man from Plegia in the middle of Ylisse." The man opened his mouth to respond, but stopped and sent a confused look her way.

"Plegia, Ylisse? What's that?"

"You don't know of the halidoms?" Chrom questioned, honestly surprised that the man didn't have knowledge of the halidom of Ylisse or even his own, Plegia.

"Can't say I do." The man frowned, shaking his head. "My mind has been drawing blanks as of late… heck, I don't even remember my name."

"Ooh, ooh!" Lissa chirped. "I know what this is! It's called amnesia!"

"It's called a load of pegasus dung." Frederick snapped, making his presence known. The knight's gaze immediately zeroed onto the supposed amnesiac. "Do you truly expect me to believe that you know of milady's and my names, but not your own?"

Frederick is an established and intimidating knight, not many are able to maintain their composure when under the man's scruinzation. Yet the Plegian was able to do so, even keeping eye contact with the knight.

"It's the truth." The amnesiac said lamely. "I swear it on my forgotten mother's grave."

"Keep your childish jokes to yourself." Frederick demanded, his frown somehow becoming deeper. "If you do not tell the truth, I will be forced to apprehend you and take you before the Exalt herself."

To Frederick's benefit, his threat was able to elicit a reaction from the Plegian. However, not the one that the knight had expected or wanted. The man smirked at the knight, a hint of mirth in his eyes.

"Would you believe me if I said it was a lucky guess?" Robin supplied, batting his eyelashes. Chrom heard her sister giggle from the side and she herself had to fight back a smile.

"No." Frederick gritted out.

"Apologies, I have been studying an ancient branch of magic where I am able to guess the names of strangers with pinpoint accuracy." Chrom had to disguise her chuckle with a cough whilst Lissa's giggles evolved into laughter.

Frederick continued to glare at the man before, his face growing increasingly flush with anger.

Seeing the knight wasn't about to relent, the amnesiac threw his hands up in frustrations. "Fine! I'll tell you the truth!" The man proclaimed, his previous smirk was now replaced with a frown and his eyes were now deadly serious. The complete reversal in attitude, made Chrom and Lissa treat the situation more urgently.

"The truth is… I'm from the future." The Plegian allowed the words to hang in the air for a brief moment. "I travelled back in time to this very spot so that I may be able to meet you three. That is how I am able to know your names." He swung his head towards Frederick, giving him the fiercest glare he could muster. "There you have it, now take me away so I may live my life out in the dungeons!"

A powerful silence took over, for three whole seconds, not one word was spoken after the amnesiac's confession.

One

Two

Thr-

"HAHAHAHA*snort*HAHAHAHA*snort*HAHA-"

The silence was absolutely destroyed by Lissa's ruptious laughter. The princess had clutched her stomach and bent over from being unable to control her laughter, not even caring if she let out a few snorts here and there.

Chrom joined her younger sister, allowing herself to laugh openly at the Plegian's supposed confession. She shot a brief glance at her protector to see that his face was completely red with anger and his left eye was slightly twitching.

The older princess was genuinely surprised to see her protector react so volatilely. Not many were able to get under the knight's skin, yet this man was able to do so easily. Chrom quickly composed herself and place herself between the amnesiac and knight.

"W-What if his amnesia is g-genuine?" Chrom forced out, trying to smother the last bits of laughter. "We can't simply apprehend him for simply forgetting who he is. What sort of Shepherds would we be then?"

Frederick narrowed his eyes and made to respond, but was interrupted by Lissa's started cry.

"Chrom, look! The town!"

Chrom and Frederick followed Lissa's gaze to find Southtown being set ablaze. The older princess's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing.

"Damn! Likely the work of those blasted brigands!" Chrom growled, unsheathing her sword, Falchion. "Frederick, Lissa! On me!"

"What about him?" Frederick questioned, pointing at the amnesiac.

"Unless he's on fire as well, it can wait!" The older princess didn't give him time to reply before she raced towards the burning town.

* * *

Shower of sparks littered the battlefield as Chrom's Falchion continued to make contact with her opponent's sword. The princess locked swords with the bandit and glowered at the man.

"Not bad princess…" The bandit huffed, out of breath due to the princess's superior swordsmanship. "Tell you what, come quietly and I'll leave this town alone, deal?"

Chrom didn't bother giving the man a response and instead broke away from the sword lock. Jumping a bit away from the bandit, the princess readied her blade as she wordlessly taunted the bandit to attack.

The bandit growled under his breath and charged, sword over his head with clear intentions of cleaving the princess in two. Said princess eyed the largely, telegraph attack with rapt focus. Just as the attack came down, Chrom parried the strike with a single, fluid motion. She followed the parry with a powerful thrust of her sword, impaling the bandit and bringing him to his knees. Once the life left the man's eyes, the princess kicked the body off her blade.

Chrom quickly scanned the battlefield, spotting her ever reliable knight taking on a group of bandits on his own. Near the knight was her sister who was currently hiding behind a ransacked stall. Lissa's gaze flickered from the knight and the older princess, incase one of them needed any healing.

" _This is getting out of hand…_ " Chrom silently told herself. She had to end this battle quickly lest more civilians be caught in the cross fires. Her gaze soon found a man covered in animal fur, dispensing orders to a group of bandits.

"Final boss…" The princess muttered to herself. She charged towards the bandit leader, hoping to slay him quickly so this battle may be brought to an end. However, her charge was put to stop once an arrow whizzed by, narrowly missing her head.

Chrom cursed under her breath as she was forced to take cover behind a destroyed wagon. She poked her head out to see three archers raining arrows all across the battlefield. The princess momentarily cursed her poor luck before racking her brain with possible solutions to this predicament.

The princess's pondering was put to a halt when she felt a finger tap her shoulder from behind. With the speed that rivaled a lightning bolt, she spun around and pointed her sword at her supposed pursuer's neck. Her eyes widened when the person before her was the sleeping Plegian from before.

The Plegian gave her a smile and a small wave before sitting next to her, legs crossed. "Hey there, seems like your in a bit of trouble huh?" He spoke to the princess casually as if commenting on the weather.

"What are you doing here?! You could've gotten hurt!" Chrom hissed.

"I was bored." He shrugged. "Besides, seeing as how this town was about to be reduced to ashes, I thought you and your band of misfits might need some help."

Not particularly fond of the man's comment on her Shepherds, she nonetheless conceded to needing extra help. "I do, but what can you do to turn the tides of battle?"

"I have a few tricks that could tip the scales in our favor." He procured a thunder tome from his robes.

"You know how to cast magic?"

"Yup! Figured out how during the walk here." The Plegian smiled. The man poked his head out behind the wagon, his eyes suddenly became calculated and his mouth was pressed into a firm frown. The princess blinked a few times when she witness the man's expression take on a more serious tone.

"Ok, with just the two of us, our actions are somewhat limited. However, I think I have simple enough plan." The Plegian returned his head back behind the wagon and faced the princess. "With my tome, I'll be able to take out at least one of the archers and grab the attention of the other two. With them distracted, you'll be free to face the leader by yourself." Chrom nodded.

"With the commanding officer dispatched, the other bandits are likely to flee."

"Exactly." The Plegian agreed. "The bandit leader seems to only be wielding an axe, and if the weapon triangle is to be believed, you'll be able to take him down with little difficulty." He finished as he ready his tome, electricity surrounding his fingertips. "Are you ready?"

Chrom nodded once again. Even if the princess had just met the man not an hour ago, she found herself being able to rely on him wholeheartedly. "I am."

"Good…Oh! Before we start, my name is Robin."

"What? I thought you forgot your name?"

"Just came back to me." Robin simply responded. He dove out behind the destroyed wagon and fired a bolt of lightning at the trio of archers.

" _Robin huh?_ " Chrom pondered whilst witnessing a bandit be electrocuted. Taking that as her cue, the princess jumped over the wagon and darted towards the leader.

" _If everything goes well, I hope to recruit a tactician to the Shepherds._ "


	2. Chapter 2

Robin was situated on top of a bandit he had recently slain. His rear was firmly planted on the dead archer's back whilst he cleaned the blood off of his bronze sword. Perhaps there was a time where the tactician would have shown a bit more respect for the dead, but after living the same life hundreds of time, mortuary decencies hasn't exactly been on the top of his mind. Admittedly, the tactician's current actions were definitely disrespectful, and a certain knight would certainly agree with that.

Robin looked up from his sword to see Frederick glaring at him. A deep frown marred his features, visibly disgusted by the tactician's lack of regard for the dead. The knight caught the tactician's eyes and his glare increased tenfold.

The tactician was very much used to the knight's infamous glare and showed no reaction. Instead, he smiled and gave the knight a light wave. Frederick sneered at the gesture and returned his gaze towards his charge.

"Thank you! Thank you!" The town elder cheered, profusely shaking the older princess's hand. "If it weren't for you, Southtown wouldn't still be standing!"

"My Shepherds and I were more than happy to help." Chrom beamed.

"Let's not forget about Robin! Did you see how he jumped out and fired that lightning bolt?!" Lissa acknowledged, reminding the group about the recent battle. "He took out a bandit with one shot!"

Frederick scoffed, not at all pleased about the princess's praise for the Plegian. "It was merely a simple spell that any mage could cast. I'm sure Miriel is more than able to replicate a similar, if not stronger attack."

"Don't be so critical Frederick." Chrom lightly chastised. "If it weren't for Robin, we wouldn't have been able to end the battle as quickly as we did."

"We were handling the situation well enough, there was no need for the Plegian's aid."

"I have a name you know." The knight whipped around to find the Plegian standing right behind him. He extended his hand. "Name's Robin." The knight stared at the offered appendage for moment, before ignoring it entirely.

"Robin was it? You must feel fortunate being able to remember your name, yes?" Frederick question, his words dripping with skepticism. Knowing that he was undertaking one of Frederick's interrogations, Robin decided to play along.

"Yep!" Robin beamed, a goofy smile forming on his face. "You don't know how relieved I was to remember something about myself."

"I'm sure. It was also fortunate that you retained your aptitude with the sword and tome." Frederick pressed.

"Thank Naga I did! I would've been in trouble if I walked into town without being able to defend myself."

"You would have." Frederick agreed. "It was convenient that you were able to use your tome in the sign of danger, maybe a bit too convenient." Robin narrowed his eyes.

"What are you implying Fredrickson?" The knight's eye twitched.

"Frederick." He gritted out. "I am simply bringing light to the possibility that you may have fabricated your amnesia." The tension between the two was almost palpable as both continued to stare at one another. The two princesses looked on from the side, concern in their eyes.

"That's a serious accusation." The tactician said darkly. "I don't take kindly to such accusations and neither do my friends."

"Friends?" The knight narrowed his eyes, anticipating an actual confession from the tactician this time.

"Yes. I'll have you know that I have friends in high places." He stopped to give the knight a fierce glare. "As we speak, one of my friend is in this very town."

Frederick tensed at Robin's statement. "Where?!" Robin smirked.

"She's right there!" With a dramatic flourish, he lifted his hand and pointed at Chrom. The princess blinked. "Chrom here is a world renowned swordmaster, able to cut down a whole town's full of bandits in a blink of an eye!" Chrom released a breath she didn't know she was holding and found herself chuckling at the gross exaggeration of her swordsmanship.

Frederick did his best impression of a fish, opening and closing his mouth several times at the absurdity or what was just spoken. "F-Friends?! You've met not an hour ago!"

"I'll have you know the time we spent together felt as if I known her for several lifetimes!" Literally. "So I would watch my step if I were you, lest you be reduced to chunks of meat."

Rolling her eyes with a smile present on her lips, Chrom decided to play along. "That's right Frederick. You best watch what you say to my dear friend, Robin." This got a horrified expression from the knight.

"Hahaha! You actually had me going there for a bit Robin!" Lissa laughed. She made her way over to the tactician and punched him lightly in the arm. "You should've told us you were joking sooner!"

The tactician shook his head in amusement. "Of course I was joking. I don't remember anything about my past, even if I did have my so called 'friends in high places'."

The town elder, who had been largely ignored, coughed to grab the four's attention. "Now that crisis has been averted, I believe rewards are in order." He turned to the oldest princess. "Would you and your shepherds like to spend the night, it's the least we can do." The older princess smiled at the kind offer but shook her head, much to the shock and exasperation of the youngest.

"What?! Why?!" Lissa demanded.

"We still have to make our way back to the capital." Chrom reasoned.

"Yeah, but it's already getting late! We can stay one night right?"

"We could, but we would be losing valuable time and now we also have to report this attack." Lissa opened her mouth to argue, but stopped herself after a bit of thought.

"Argh, fine! This is what I get for being apart of the Shepherds, I guess." The younger princess crossed her arms and cutely puffed out her cheeks. Chrom smiled at her sister's actions and reached out to ruffle her hair, much to the younger's dismay.

"Oh don't be like that!" Chrom laughed as her hand was swatted away. "If it gets late we'll just have to rough it out, hardship builds character you know."

"I think I built enough character for one day." Lissa grumbled whilst straightening out her hair. "I just fought a group of bandits I'll have you know!"

"Well if you're sure about leaving…" The town elder interrupted the sisterly bonding. "I shall bid you farewell and safe travels, milady." He bowed once before parting ways.

"Welp!" Robin said overly loud, effectively drawing the attentions of the three shepherds. "Seeing as all the bandits are dead, I'm guessing my presence is no longer needed. I'll be taking my leave, probably going to find another field to sleep in." With that, the tactician turned to leave, taking two, large, exaggerated steps away. He almost took his third if it weren't for Chrom voicing his name.

"Robin, wait." The tactician turned around to see the blue-haired princess before him. "Tell me, why did you help us fight off the bandits?" Already anticipating the question, Robin answered instantly.

"I couldn't just let them slaughter the town folks, could I?" Robin stated simply. He eyed the princess to see her smile widely. The question was to reveal if the tactician's intents were pure when aiding the town, something Robin noted that Chrom had done before in his previous lives. Seeing the princess's expression, Robin gave a good answer.

"That's a fine answer, Robin. During the battle, you showed incredible skill with the sword, tome, and even mind. Your tactics were able to shift the tide of battle in our favor and ultimately, allowed us to triumph." Chrom's eyes seemed to have brighten as she prepared her next words. "With that in mind, I would like to offer you a place in the Shepherds."

Frederick's eyes widened. "Milady, we can't allo-"

"Sure." Robin interrupted. Chrom blinked at the man's simple answer.

"Just like that?" She received a shrug.

"Well it's either follow you three or find another field to lie in."

"Yes and we wouldn't want that would we?" The knight drawled sarcastically, frowning at the tactician's causal explanation for joining the Shepherds. "Milady, we can't allow this man to join the Shepherds. Not only is he from Plegia, but he is still under suspicion of faking his supposed amnesia. There is not way for someone to retain their combative abilities in such a limited amount of time, especially after claiming to remember nothing."

" _Honestly, he has a fair point._ " Robin mentally conceded. If the tactician were in the knight's shoes, he would've been suspicious as well. Finding a lone man in the middle of a field, wearing the clothes of a rival country and equipped with an assortment of weapons were bound to raise a few red flags. Robin had counted more than a few, agonizing times where he had tried to dissuade his best friend's altruistic tendencies. Heroes don't particularly have the longest of lifespans after all. Then again, Chrom's unfaltering need to 'save the day' is probably what Robin admired most about him. Besides giving the tactician a purpose, Chrom's valorous and charitable nature is why Robin still continues to follow the lord, no matter what life.

"Frederick that's enough." Chrom commanded firmly, her eyes hard as she stared at the knight. "I have witness this man save Ylissean lives while risking his very own. I believe he deserves the benefit of the doubt and should be trusted." The princess's tone left no room for argument and Frederick wisely chose to keep quiet.

"Welcome to the Shepherds, Robin." Chrom extended her hand, which the tactician took ahold of and shook.

"Glad to be apart of it, though I doubt my tactics would be much help in herding sheep."

"You'd be surprised." She smirked. "Come Shepherds! Onward to the capital!"

* * *

"Holy…!" Lissa gaped. Her eyes bulged upon seeing the tactician tear through his portion of bear. He had taken two bites and only a third of the bear remained. "Slow down! The bear isn't going to rise back from the dead and run away!" The young princess only received a grunt before the tactician continued to inhale his steak.

Predictably, the four shepherds were unable to reach capital before dark, forcing them to camp out for the duration of the night. Tasks were delegated to the four, Frederick with hunting for their dinner, Chrom with collecting firewood, Robin with firewood as well, and Lissa with looking over the designated campsite. Lissa had once again claimed that she had 'built enough character for one day', and decided on her task herself.

The assigned chores soon came to an end, Chrom and Robin were able to provide enough firewood to create an acceptable fire. Frederick came back from his hunt with a bear, much to the dismay of Lissa and himself. However, Chrom and Robin were ecstatic to have bear for dinner, the former saying that it's been too long since she had bear and the latter naturally loving the gamey deliciousness.

Chrom let out a hearty chuckle after witnessing the tactician's ravenous display. "Glad to finally find someone who shares my love for bear!" The older princess said before biting into her own piece of steak. "Mmm…Delicious!"

"Give me more…more!" Robin reached out for Chrom's steak.

The older princess let out another laugh, promptly scooting away from the tactician's reach. "Sorry Robin, but this bear is mine." She proceeded to playfully bite into her steak.

Robin pouted in response before allowing it to melt into a smile, taking the princess's taunt is stride. "Naga that was good. We should eat bear everyday!"

"Please no…" Lissa whimpered and Frederick blanched at the thought.

"My thoughts exactly! However, the rest of the Shepherds don't seem share the same sentiments." Chrom let out a solemn sigh.

"We are a dying race." Robin clapped a hand on the princess's shoulder, establishing a sense of comradery between the two shepherds.

Lissa rolled her eyes at the back-and-forth, noting how surprisingly similar her sister and tactician could be. She turned her head towards the knight to see that has yet to consume a morsel of his steak. "Frederick? Aren't you going to eat?" Even the younger princess had nimbled her own portion.

The knight wrinkled his nose as he continued to stare at his bear steak. Before he was able to respond, the tactician cut in.

"Hey Frederino!" Lissa noted the knight's eye twitch. "If you're not going to eat your bear, mind if i take it off your hands?" Robin extended his hand, expectantly waiting for the Frederick to handover his steak.

Frederick glared at the extended appendage, hoping the hand would set aflame if he continued to stare long enough. To the knight's immeasurable disappointment, it did not. For whatever reason, Frederick's eyes flashed towards Chrom for the briefest of moments before returning to his steak. With a sigh, the knight finally took a bite of his bear.

The tactician's eyes widened considerably when the knight began to chew on his portion, much to Lissa's confusion. " _Wonder why Robin is so shocked that Frederick is eating his bear?_ " Lissa pondered to herself. " _Sure it smells worse than an old boot, but Frederick's a big guy, he won't be defeated by a piece of meat. Did Robin really want the steak or-_ " The younger princess's train of thought was interrupted by a strangled groan.

"Frederick! Are you alright?!" Chrom shouted in worriment. Lissa turned to see the knight, cheeks puffed out and his face growing increasingly red. Frederick's portion of bear was dropped on the floor and forgotten as both of his hands were around his throat.

Chrom made to stand up to help her fellow shepherd, but was stopped by the knight himself when he raised a hand. The other three Shepherds all watched Frederick continue to make several agonizing groans and raspy coughs. After what felt like hours, the knight managed to choke down his piece of bear. "D-Delicious…" He gurgled.

No one believed him.

Lissa made sure to keep her staff close by.

After witnessing their knight almost die by bear meat, the Shepherds finally decided to turn in for the night. Being the ever so delicate princess, though she would vehemently deny the description, Lissa was unused to sleeping outside of a comfy room. Sleep constantly eluded the younger princess through the night, she repeatedly tossed and turned, trying to make herself comfortable on the hard, dirty ground.

" _How are the others able to sleep soundly?!_ " She thought jealousy.

The younger princess's eyebrows creased at the sound of movement. She turned once more to see her big sister awake and standing. "What's wrong sis?"

The blue-haired princess almost jumped when hearing her sister's voice. Chrom turned to her sister with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She apologized. "I just heard something."

"Uh…define 'something'."

"Not sure, but I'm going to have a look."

"Not alone you're not!" Lissa chirped quietly, jumping up from her sleeping position.

"Haha, thanks sis." Lissa made to follow her older sister, sleep far from her mind.

* * *

Robin listened to Chrom's and Lissa's footsteps grow more distant. Once the footsteps were replaced by silence, the tactician knew that the two princesses had left the campsite. Robin had been awake the entire time, knowing what would happen tonight. The world would shake and magma would rise from it's very core. While these occurrences are destructive in their own right, it pales to what's going to happen next. A tear would appear in the very fabric of space, coming out the portal would be a limitless amount of undead soldiers and a single time-traveling swordsman named 'Marth'.

Now that the princesses are gone, Robin now has to wait for Frederick to wake up and threaten him.

"Wake up, Plegian!"

" _Ah, just on time._ "

The tactician faked a yawn and stretched his arms for added effect. He proceeded to turn to his side, just in time to see the knight's spear pointed at his throat. Robin allowed his eyes to follow the silver lance's length back to its owner, who was currently without his armor. Frederick had a deep frown, his face extremely white. The tactician briefly wondered if the knight's paleness was due to his charges being missing or because he ate bear meat. He still couldn't believe that Frederick actually ate the bear meat, he never done so before.

"Where are the princesses!" The knight all but snarled.

"How am I supposed to know? Aren't you their nanny or something?" Frederick narrowed his eyes at the answer and promptly kicked the tactician in the stomach, flipping Robin over onto his stomach. "Ok, I deserved that." He groaned.

"I won't ask again." Frederick growled dangerously.

"Look, I honestly don't know." The tactician raised his hands in surrender. "I've been sleeping the entire time. How about we just look for them?"

The knight eyed him for a moment before sighing, withdrawing his spear. "Fine, but if I find out you did anything-"

"Yeah, yeah. You'll spear me with your lance and what not." Robin said boredly. He picked himself up from the ground and grabbed his sword and tome. The tactician securely strapped the bronze sword to his hip and tucked the thunder tome in his cloak. "I'll be heading into the forest, catch up when you equipped your armor." Barely waiting for the knight, the tactician proceeded to stroll into the forest.

Already knowing where Chrom and Lissa are, Robin decided against directly moving to their location, but instead take a brief stroll in the forest. At the moment, there was no immediate urgency to get to where the princesses are, especially knowing that 'Marth', or Lucina, will arrive soon and definitely take action if the situation calls for it. The stroll in the forest gave the tactician ample time to think about his current life.

" _It's still a bit jarring that Chrom changed from a prince to princess._ " Robin mused to himself. The tactician had experienced several different lives and none of them had changed Chrom as drastically as this life had. From what Robin had witnessed, all previous incarnations of the Ylissean royal shared the traits of being valorous and charitable. Sure, this life's Chrom certainly encompassed those traits, but now the royal is a bit more…shapely.

Admittedly, not all of Robin's lives had been perfect copies of the first. There were some instances that events and battles played out a bit differently. Examples for battles being more enemies on the battlefield or maybe the soldiers fought a bit smarter than before. For events, they would usually just occur in different orders, sometimes earlier or later than expected. Back in Robin's earliest lives, he had tried to alter events for the benefit of him and the Shepherds. It was a gamble at most times, at times it was greatly beneficial…

…other times, it led to a premature end.

" _Seems like 'Marth' is about to arrive._ " Robin thought to himself as he felt the world tremor violently. Quickly regaining his balance, the tactician set a direct course towards Chrom's and Lissa's location. He arrived just in time to witness Chrom and 'Marth' dispatch the last of the undead warriors, later referred as Risens.

"That was quite an entrance." Chrom complimented, sheathing her sword. She turned towards her masked savior. "What's your name?"

"Marth." The masked swordsman claimed. Robin narrowed his eyes upon hearing the warrior's voice.

" _Hmm…a forced, overly gruff tone. Yep, this Lucina is still female. Still crossdressing too. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing._ " Robin assessed.

"Marth? As in the heroic king of old? Well, you certainly fight like a her-."

"Enough pleasantries." The masked swordswoman cut in, interrupting the older princess. "Unsheath your blade, there are more of these creatures to fight. Let this be a warning for the things to come" With that, Lucina delved deeper into the forest.

"Wait! And he's gone." Seeing as this was a better time than any, Robin decided to make his presence known.

"Chrom! Lissa! You guys here?!" The two princesses turned to the sudden noise, only to smile when they saw who it was.

"Robin! Glad to see you're save!" Lissa beamed running up to the tactician. Robin observed the state of the youngest Ylissean royal. Her blonde, golden hair was ruffled in a few areas and her dress has been littered with dirt. Thankfully, there weren't any cuts or bruises that could be found on the princess.

"I could say the same to you two." Robin motioned to the dissipating corpses. "Frederick and I woke up to find you two missing. Not only that, but fighting these horrific creatures no less."

"Not by choice I assure you." Chrom gave the tactician a tired smile. The smile soon dropped upon remembering the masked swordswoman warning. "Ready yourself Robin. Marth warned that more of these creatures will appear."

"Marth?" Robin feigned ignorance whilst resting a hand on the hilt of his bronze sword.

"Marth was a swordsman that came to our aid." Chrom explained quickly, unsheathing her sword from her scabbard.

"Yeah…he was really…" Lissa let out a content sigh. Robin noticed a whimsical glint in her eyes and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He looked forward to Lissa's reaction when she finds out her dashing savior is also her niece, never gets old.

"Wait…" Chrom took a moment to examine her surroundings, noticing that someone was missing from the group. "Where's Frederick?"

The blue-haired princess's question immediately grabbed the tactician's attention. He swiftly took in his surroundings to find that the great knight was nowhere to be seen. "He should be here by now…" Robin muttered to himself. Frederick was always here around this time. With the knight's fierce loyalty and great work ethics, one would expect the knight to be at his charge's side in a heartbeat. Robin racked his brain to formulate some sort of reason that could explain the protector's absence.

Robin's eyes widened in relasiation. " _The bear!_ " The tactician remembered how pale the knight had been when he woke up. This was the only life where Frederick had actually consumed the bear meat. At this time, the knight hasn't grown accustomed to the gamey nature of the bear meat and his body must be reacting harshly to it. To think the bear is negatively affecting the knight at this magnitude.

The tactician cursed his luck. With the upcoming battle on the horizon, lacking the knight's bulk and strength would severely cripple the chance of victory. Sully and Virion won't arrive for assistance until a couple minutes into the battle. " _I have to find some way to stall the imminent battle so we cou-_ " Robin was knocked out of his train of thought by a low, guttural moan.

" _Nagadamnit…_ "

The three shepherds whipped their heads to the source of the noise. Before them were a legion of undead atrocities. The revitalized warriors were nothing more than horrifying mimics of what they once were. A foreboding aura surrounded the abominations, promising nothing short of death for anyone who crosses them. Red eyes tracked the shepherds every movement, treating them as mere prey, waiting for the perfect time to strike. The predators were equipped with an assortment of weapons, swords, axes, and most importantly, bows.

Robin narrowed his eyes at the backlines of the Risen battalion. He silently numbered the amount of enemy archers and cursed to himself, when he had counted over Frederick's superior bulk and speed, he couldn't have the knight and his horse flank the backlines to dispatch the archers in a timely manner. With that in mind, Robin will now have to focus his attention on the archers himself, seeing as he's the only to be equipped with anything ranged.

The tactician procured his thunder tome from the confines of his cloak, he opened the tome and allowed electricity to dance between the pages. He gave a brief glance to the blue-haired princess beside him, Chrom had relaxed into a familiar stance with her Falchion pointed at the Risens. Robin turned to the younger princess, Lissa was incredibly tense, her eyes wide at the sheer number of enemies. The tactician's eyes finally drifted to an abandoned fort that wasn't too far. Sadly, the undead atrocities had surrounded them, cutting off any path to the abandoned haven.

" _The only thing we can do now is hold_ _out, survive long enough for Sully and Virion to arrive._ " Robin concluded silently. With a shake of his head, the tactician finally addressed the two other Shepherds.

"Chrom, you'll act as the vanguard. Cut down anything that decides to get too close." He waited for the older princess to nod before turning towards the priestess. "Lissa, stay behind Chrom and I, heal any wounds that we may procure." Lissa gave a shaky nod. "I'll focus on dispatching the archers in the distance. If we allow them to bombard us with arrows, we're done for."

Silence overtook the battlefield, the two groups eyeing each other's every single movement.

However, the standoff didn't last long when a Risen archer decided to notch an arrow. The tactician's eyes immediately zeroed in on the undead soldier. He raised his hand, a ball of electricity shot out towards the archer. The attack struck true, killing the offending archer with a single cast.

The Risen battalion took the tactician's attack as the signal to begin their approach. One Risen, equipped with a sword and shield, charged at the older princess. The undead mercenary began its assault with a shield bash, but Chrom was quick and ducked underneath the attack. With a flash of steel, the swordswoman amputated the offending limb. The mercenary didn't seem to notice the lack of appendage and instead raised its other arm, ready to strike. Only for its head to be lopped off by the same sword wielding princess.

Chrom quickly composed herself and returned her focus towards the rest of the enemies. She spied an opposing fighter wielding an axe. The fighter was quickly closing the distance between itself and the princess. Believing the distance was close enough, the fighter jumped in the air, axe held above its head and ready to cleave the princess in two. The princess narrowed her eyes at the airborne Risen, priming her blade. With an attack that boasted supreme precision and power, Chrom separated the fighter's torso and legs with a single slash. The remains of the fighter fell to the ground, its axe clattered by the princess's feet.

" _Well this Chrom seems to be a bit faster and more precise._ " Robin observed before returning to his task. The tactician continued his assault on the numerous archers in front of him. Electricity flew from the Plegian's fingers, electrocuting any Risen that decides to make contact with it. He strained his eyes to locate all the hostile archers, waiting for any one of them to notch an arrow before retaliating with a thunder. The tactician couldn't allow one arrow to be fired at his party lest he wanted his fellow shepherds to suffer.

Robin's eyes flickered to each archer, silently taunting them to fire an arrow. One unfortunate soul decided to challenge the tactician's taunt and withdrew an arrow from it's quiver. The Risen didn't have time to properly notch the arrow as its head was blown to smithereens by an electrical discharge. He glowered at the rest of the archers, once again, daring them to even try to retaliate in any form.

The tactician's attention shifted to the older princess, who was currently fending off two axe wielding fighters. Chrom had her sword locked with the blades of the two axes, stopping the impact but unable to push the pursuers away. Wanting to preserve his thunder tome, Robin unsheathed his bronze sword to rushed to royal's aid. He sliced the legs of the closest fighter, forcing the risen to its knees. The tactician proceeded to grip his sword in reverse and plunged the blade into the fighter's neck. Relieved of an additional opponent, Chrom easily pushed the other Risen off her. She promptly silenced the undead fighter with a precise incision.

"Thanks." The blue-haired princess offered, relieved for the tactician's timely assistance.

"Can't have you dying, can I?" Robin smirked, eyes never leaving the Risens. "Especially when I told Fernando about how you were a swordmaster and whatnot. I'd be a laughing stock!"

Even in this dire situation, Chrom couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll be sure to not disappoint then."

Their banter was interrupted by a battle cry that could only be mimicked by a certain crimson knight.

Robin looked towards the source of the disturbance to see a red cavalier and her horse forcing a way through the surrounding Risens. Her steel lance piercing and slashing anything foolish enough to impede her destination. Following the cavalier was a fancy looking archer, obviously lagging behind due to the knight's horse. Thankfully, the archer was certainly not defenseless. He fired several close quartered shots from his silver bow, the arrows creating new homes within the skulls of the undead warriors.

" _Oh thank Naga…_ " Robin thought in relieve. He watched the crimson knight stop her horse in front of the group.

"Captain Chrom! Princess Lissa! Thank the gods you're safe!" The cavalier acclaimed in relief.

Both princesses smiled at the knight, happy to see another friendly face. "Glad to see you too Sully." Chrom greeted. The older princess looked to the archer who had finally caught up. "Who's your friend?"

Seeing that the he was being addressed, the archer promptly straightened his clothes and cleared his throat. "You are interested hmm? Of course you are! I am myth and legend! Known as the archest archer who has ever lived! Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Vir-"

"His name is Ruffles." Sully interrupted blandly, ignoring the archer's flabbergasted expression. "He decided to follow me for whatever reason."

"A-Actually it's Virion…"

"Anyways…" Sully shifted her attention to the tactician. "Whose this?"

"Name's Robin." The tactician introduced himself. "I'm the newly inducted tactician of the Shepherds."

"Tactician eh?" The crimson knight turned her attention to the opposing battalion. "Well I don't know about you but I'm not looking to be food for these ashed-faced freaks. Tell me what to do and I'll do it." Robin nodded.

"There are several archers lined up in the back. I need you and your horse to flank the backlines and take the archers out as fast as possible. With your armor, their arrows won't affect you too much."

"Gotcha!" With that, the cavalier paved her way through the surrounding Risens, creating a direct route to the backlines of the opposing forces. The undead archers saw the oncoming cavalier and focused their attention on her. Several arrows were let loose, all aiming to kill the red knight. Sadly of them, the arrows did nothing more than bounce off the crimson armor. With a smirk, Sully speared the first archer she made contact with, killing it instantly. "Come on! That all you got?!"

"Virion." Robin addressed the archer. "Be sure to support Sully if anytime it looks like she's having trouble, ok?"

"Of course! What gentleman would I be if I left a lady by her lonesome?" He then proceeded to let loose several arrows onto the Risens.

Robin took his place in the front lines alongside Chrom. He tucked the thunder tome back into the confines of his cloak, no longer worried about the archers thanks to Sully's assistance, and relaxed into a familiar sword stance. He closed his eyes, remembering his training with a certain Feroxian myrmidon. Robin gripped his blade with two hands and held the it close to his face, the tip of the sword pointed dangerously towards the Risens.

A Risen mercenary broke through it's ranks and charged at the Shepherd's tactician and captain, its sword ready stab into one of them. Robin was the first one to react, moving into the mercenary's attack and sidestepped the lunge with practiced ease. The tactician retaliated with a upward slash, then pivoted into a horizontal slash, effectively putting the mercenary to rest once again.

Chrom was fighting her own opponent. An undead fighter jumped towards the princess, axe in hand. The princess was able to jump back in time, the axe swing missing entirely and lodged itself into the ground. She immediately closed the distance between the two, her sword ready by her side. With a grunt, her Falchion cleanly tore through the Risen's neck.

Robin and Chrom continued to keep the Risen bay until Sully came back to them. "Think I got most if not all the archers." The tactician nodded, a few archers remaining wouldn't hamper the next stage of his plan very much.

"Everyone! Head to the abandoned fortress!" Everyone agreed with Robin's command and made their way to the fort. Thanks to the efforts of Sully, the Risen surrounding them are much more fragmented, creating several clear paths to run through.

The tactician looked behind him to see the younger princess lagging behind. His eyes widened considerably when he noticed two archers aiming straight at her. Robin silently cursed himself for putting his tome away, he wouldn't be fast enough to pull it out and cast a spell without Lissa being shot. The tactician immediately stopped in his tracks and sped towards the blonde princess.

"Lissa! Behind you!" Chrom screamed, also noticing the undead archers from afar. Lissa turned in time to see the archers let loose their arrows, no time to react. The younger princess closed her eyes, almost accepting the arrows flying towards her.

Robin jumped in the path of the arrows, taking the brunt of the attack instead of Lissa. Immense pain erupted in the tactician's left shoulder and right pectoral. He gritted his teeth, forcing down the yell of pain that was in his throat. The tactician unceremoniously pulled the arrows out of his body, sending another bout of pain throughout his body.

" _It's just pain…you've experienced worse._ " Robin scolded himself whilst withdrawing his thunder tome from his cloak. His shoulder flared in pain as he tried to open his tome. The tactician was ready to blast the archers to pieces…

If it weren't for a certain great knight intervening.

Frederick and his horse burst out of the forest, his silver lance decimating the two undead archers in a single blow.

Robin smiled at the display. " _Took you long enough._ "

"Robin are you ok?!" Lissa ripped the tactician away from his thoughts. Robin turned around to see the princess unharmed, but eyes wide with great concern for her fellow shepherd's safety. The priestess's face blanched when she took in the tactician's injuries. "R-Robin you're drenched in blood! We have to trea-"

"No time." The tactician swiftly took the priestess hands in his and led her to the abandoned fort. Frederick seeing the tactician's actions, followed suit.

The three Shepherds ran towards the abandoned fort, hacking and slashing any Risen that got in their way. The pain in the tactician's shoulder had thankfully dulled, allowing him to somewhat swing his sword in defiance. Once the three made it inside the fort, Sully and Chrom pushed the doors closed, effectively keeping the Risen out. The Shepherds could hear the insistent banging and clamouring of the undead warriors, desperately trying to get inside.

"Virion, get on the wall. We're going to test how accurate you are with a bow." Virion nodded at the tactician before making his way up the wall, Robin made to follow suit.

"Robin wait! You're injured, you need to be treated!" Robin looked behind him to see it was Lissa who called for him. She was standing next to Chrom, who had a horrified expression.

"It's fine. Just a bit of blood, nothing to worry about." With that Robin made his way to the top of the wall, ignoring the indignant yells from below. Once he got to the top, he spied Virion observing the clamouring Risens below. The archer heard the tactician step beside him and turned his head, he frowned.

"You must have that treated, friend. It would be most unfortunate for you to pass due to blood loss."

"In a bit." Robin brushed off the archer's concern whilst taking out his thunder tome. He noted that his tome was on its last legs, after this battle he would have to find a new one. He felt the familiar sense of electricity crackle between his fingers. "Ready to pick the rest of these monsters off?" In response the tactician received a simple smile.

The archer readied his silver bow, three arrows notched. Electricity crackled brightly once Robin raised his hand at the enemy below. A torrent of arrows and lightning rained down on the unexpecting Risens. The enemies were unable to retaliate in any form as arrows and lightning continuously ripped through their forces. Their archers were long dead, nothing was going to save them tonight.

Robin watched as Virion's arrow took off a chunk of the final undead's face, the body falling limply next to the other dispating corpses.

Tonight, he and the Shepherds had won.

* * *

A/N: Glad to see people are interested in the fiction. This all started when I saw a neat female Chrom art on the Fire Emblem Heroes subreddit. So I wanted to write a story with a male Robin and female Chrom, see what interactions they would have. The multiple lives thing Robin was something I came up with while brainstorming.

Next chapter will have less action and be more of a breather.

Art by skiskooska on reddit


	3. Chapter 3

"I may have amnesia and all that, but I thought you had to avoid hurting the patient during treatment."

The comment prompted Chrom to tighten the bandages even further, eliciting a pained hiss from the tactician.

"Ok. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you're doing this on purpose now." Robin grunted.

"It's all in your head, I assure you." Chrom drawled, glaring at the back of the tactician's head.

The Shepherds, plus Virion, had decided to stay in the abandoned fortress for the duration of the night. The battle with the undead abominations had certainly taken a toll on everyone. However, with the exception of one, certain individual, everyone miraculously left the battle practically unscathed. Only a few scrapes and bruises could be found on the Shepherds, injuries that weren't anything to write home about. It certainly said something about Robin's tactical prowess.

Speaking of the tactician, Chrom was currently addressing his wounds at this very moment. Out of everyone involved in the recent battle, Robin was the only one who had suffered a critical injury. The moment he had returned from the top of the fortress walls, Chrom immediately grabbed the man and sat him down for treatment. The tactician was quickly stripped of his blood-ridden cloak and shirt, so Lissa could properly heal him. Once his wounds were made bare, Lissa gave an involuntary gasp while the rest of the Shepherds had to fight back a wince.

It was unpleasant to say the least. There were two sizable holes in his left shoulder and chest, blood still pouring out in an alarming rate. It was obviously swollen, indicated by the nauseating, purple color that surrounds the entrances of the wounds. Upon closer inspection, the entrance of the wounds were somewhat shredded, likely due to the the tactician forcefully removing the arrows. The only person who showed no reaction to the wounds was the tactician himself. His only response being, "Oh...that's going to leave a scar."

Robin had been perplexingly nonchalant during the entire ordeal. Once Lissa had scrambled for her staff and healed the tactician's wounds, he had made to stand up to retrieve his cloak. Chrom quickly forced him back down, scolding him that he shouldn't be moving whatsoever. Ignoring her words, the tactician kept insisting that he was completely fine and made to escape the older princess's reach, trying her patiences more than a few times. As a result, once she had…convinced the tactician to hold still, Chrom may have been a bit more forceful than needed when applying the bandages.

"Ow, ow, ow! Will you stop that!" Robin yelled as Chrom had, against her better judgement, applied unnecessary pressure. "Just banadage me like a normal person!"

"You know, for a guy who was walking around with two arrow-shaped holes in him, you're surprisingly whiny." Sully chortled off to the side. Eyes alight with amusement as she continued to watch the tactician's suffering.

"I concur!" Virion followed, sitting next to Sully. "I witnessed you rain down salvos of lightning bolts on our ghastly foes! Yet here you are, defeated by a mere medical procedure!" The archer proceeded to join the crimson knight in laughter.

"The two archers had done less damage compared to Chrom's bandaging!" Robin snapped. "She's a sadist!"

"W-What?! I-I'm not a sadist!" Chrom yelled indignantly, the comment obviously catching her off guard.

"Yes, that stutter of yours truly convinced me otherwise." The tactician responded, words drenched in sarcasm. "Can someone else bandage me? I'm not comfortable having Chrom do it anymore, I'm afraid she might 'relieve' herself onto me."

The blue-haired royal's cheeks flushed a bright red in response to the tactician's suggestive words. Even more so when Sully and Virion began to laugh at her expense. "O-Of course I would stutter! W-Who just says that out of the blue?!"

"Hey it's fine, I'm not one to judge. It's not my business what a person does to reach their climax." An evil smile spread across the tactician's lips. "But to relieve yourself in front of others." Robin nodded towards the other shepherds. "Am I sensing another feti-"

"Ok!" Chrom interrupted, cheeks somehow redder. "Y-Your bandages are secured!" With that, the princess let go of the tactician as if he was on fire. She scurried away, her hands desperately trying to smother the heat on her face.

Laughter between the crimson knight and fancy archer continued tenfold, now with Robin joining in as well. Chrom peeked through her fingers to see the tactician sending her a smug grin.

" _That jerk…"_

When the heat on her cheeks had finally died down, the blue-haired princess spared a glance to Frederick. The great knight had been strangely quiet the entire time. After the battle with the undead warriors had come to a close, he went up to her and Lissa and practically begged for forgiveness. Head bowed, he apologized profusely for not coming to their aid through the majority of the battle. The knight had explained that his body had reacted negatively to the bear meat they had for dinner, to no one's surprise, and wasn't able to assist them without the possibility of losing the contents in his stomach.

Of course, the Ylissean princesses had accepted the apologies without hesitation. To put the knight's worry at ease, Chrom had also explained that Robin was able to take charge of the situation with ease. The tactician had formulated a strategy that allowed them to effectively fend off the opposing forces. To the princess's confusion, the great knight reacted almost negatively to her words, a scowl forming on his features. After their interaction, Frederick had opted to stare at the tactician, silent the entire time.

With a sigh, Chrom turned her attention to the younger princess. Like the great knight, Lissa had been silent for the majority of their stay at the fortress. However, her silence could be explained. Lissa had been inducted into the Shepherds not a week ago, she was still fresh, definitely unused to the hardships of being a warrior. Yet in just a single day, she had experienced not one, but two life-threatening battles. To top it all off, she would've lost her life if it weren't for Robin. It was certainly a lot to take in for someone as young as her.

Chrom noticed her sister sending furtive looks at the tactician, more specifically, the bandages around his torso. Saving the priestess's life wasn't without its risk, the tactician's bandages were a clear indicator of that. It was obvious that Lissa believed it was her fault that Robin was in his current state, her guilt-ridden eyes being a dead giveaway. Chrom wanted to desperately wrap her arms around the younger princess and whisper soothing words, but another part of her mind said to leave her be. Lissa needed to accept her mistake and learn from it.

" _It's hard being an older sibling._ " Chrom internally whined.

* * *

"So this is Ylisstol." Robin observed the gigantic walls that surrounded the capital city of Ylisse. "Looks neat."

Chrom chuckled at the oversimplification of her capital, taking the tactician's bare statement in stride. Her knight did not take the comment too kindly.

"Neat?" Frederick scoffed before clearing his throat, preparing to go into full lecture mode. "In front of you is the finest example of modern architecture. Stones have been painstakingly sculpted and refined for just the wall itself, so that Ylissean citizens may experience a sense of security when they look upon them. As for the buildings within the walls…"

Chrom and Lissa had to hold back a bit of laughter as the tactician was met with the full brunt of one of Frederick's infamous lectures. The two Ylissean princesses have certainly been intimate with the knight's lectures on more than a few occasions, and at most times, they weren't exactly exhilarating. They truly did feel sorry for Robin, having to experience such a long-winded and very boring lecture. Not sorry enough to intervene, however.

Once Chrom had choked back her laughter, she looked towards Frederick and then to Lissa. They were certainly in a better mood compared to that of the previous night. Frederick is certainly more talkative, if his current lecture was anything to go by. Lissa is actually smiling and color had returned to her face. Though she would sometimes glance at the tactician's bandages and his bloodied cloak, he had insisted on still wearing the cloak for whatever reason. It would seem a good night's sleep was what was needed.

"Oh gods, is Frederick doing one of his lectures again?!" Sully questioned, panic in her eyes. The princesses were not the only ones who had experienced the knight's lecture. "I'm going to head to the barracks before he turns his sights on me. Catch you later Captain, Lissa."

"Wait!" Virion yelled, deciding to make his presence known. "Let me accompany you milady. What gentleman would I be if I allow you to walk alone?"

"What? You do know I'm going back to the Shepherd's barracks right? And correct me if I'm wrong, you're not exactly a shepherd yourself."

"I see…" The archer turned to the blue-haired princess. "Milady, I would like to offer my services as an archer to your personal militia. Will you have me?"

"Uh…sure?" Chrom answered, surprised to have two new members in just under a day.

Smiling, Virion turned to Sully, who had her mouth ajared in shock. "Shall we?"

With a sigh, the crimson knight relented. "Fine, but you better keep up!" The crimson knight and the newly-inducted archer proceeded into the city, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

"Well that just happened." Chrom nodded at her sister's comment, agreeing that definitely just happened. The two princesses soon turned their attention back to the knight and tactician, the lecture just about finished.

"In the innermost center of the city, lies the castle of the Exalt. A building meant to be the beacon of peace to all who desires it, and a display of power to any who opposes." Frederick finished, looking a bit too smug for the princesses' liking. The knight awaited for the tactician's response, likely assuming to be praised for his vast knowledge. He assumed wrong.

"Oh, that's neat." With that, Robin strolled passed Frederick and into the city, leaving the knight absolutely flabbergasted.

"There, there." Lissa walked over to the knight and patted his shoulder in a reassuring manner. "You'll get him next time."

* * *

Robin was currently walking through the streets of Ylisstol in a lackadaisical manner. A great amount of nostalgia overcame the tactician as he trekked through the city, observing everything that passed by. The tactician spotted several locations he had frequented in his previous lives. There was the fancy bar that Vaike usually visited after every job, the restaurant that made Stahl's favorite steaks, and the bookstore that Miriel had recommended that one time.

" _Ah, memories._ " Robin thought fondly. " _Time to experience it all over again._ " As the tactician continued his trip down memory late, he noticed something strange.

The streets were oddly empty.

Robin took in his general vicinity and saw that everyone had given him a wide berth. Most of the citizens had their backs against the buildings, eyes wide in what Robin saw as fear. Robin frowned at the Ylisseans' curious actions, unsure what has gotten them so frightened. The tactician followed the citizen's gazes to see that they were all staring at him.

" _Huh?_ " Robin furrowed his brows in confusion. " _Why are they all staring at me as if I'm a risen?_ " He looked down at his person. " _Oh, that's probably why._ "

The tactician currently had on his Plegian robes. The relations between Plegia and Ylisse were incredibly hostile with all the attacks on Ylissean settlements. So it was understandable why some citizens were put off by the presence of a Plegian in their capital. To make things worse, his cloak was drenched in blood and two sizeable holes were made very prominent. It made Robin look as if he was some psycho murderer who had recently killed someone. The tactician examined his outfit for another minute before turning his sights to a lone Ylissean man.

"Who're you looking at?!" Robin snarled, his face contorted into a very menacing visage.

The Ylissean passed out.

Robin let out a hearty laugh as the rest of the citizens ran from the scene in terror. In hindsight, it was probably in poor judgement to terrify the people he would later be protecting, but he couldn't help himself, it was just too funny.

" _I should probably head back to Chrom and the others._ " Robin thought. " _I need to reacquaint myself with the rest of the Shepherds and rest up for the inevitable journey to Ferox._ "

Just as Robin was about to make his way out of the area, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"You there! Hold!" A very familiar, feminine voice yelled behind him. The tactician turned around to make sure his ears weren't playing tricks on him.

All he needed to see was that red hair.

" _Cordelia?_ _What is she doing her-...actually never mind._ " Robin quickly stopped his train of thought. Cordelia is a member of Ylisse's Pegasus Knights. The elite group of airborne knights were all stationed here in Ylisstol as security for the Exalt herself. Honestly, it's more surprising how he's never met her any earlier.

"Can I help you with something?" Robin questioned nonchalantly. The pegasus knight promptly marched herself towards the tactician until she stood before him. Her right was hand firmly clasped onto her steel lance, prepared to use it at a moment's notice. She glared at the tactician, her face looked as if it were made of stone.

"You are the Plegian who has been terrorizing Ylisstol, correct?" Robin made to respond but was quickly cut off. "You are hereby under arrest."

"Woah, woah, woah! Why am I being arrested?! I didn't do anything!" Robin shouted in disbelief.

"You are under arrest for disturbing the peace and terrorizing the good citizens of Ylisse." Cordelia replied coolly.

"That's a load of pegasus dung! I've done nothing but mind my own business the entire time I was here!"

"Then explain that." At the tactician's claim of innocence, the pegasus knight nodded to the unconscious Ylissean citizen. The same citizen that Robin had terrified.

"...He was there when I got here." Cordelia was thoroughly unconvinced.

"Come quietly or I will be forced to apprehend you physically." To emphasize her point, she lifted her steel lance and pointed it at the taction.

"H-Hey, there's no need to act aggressively." Robin nervously reasoned, hands held up in surrender. If there was one thing he knew about Cordelia, it was that she was extremely proficient with a lance. Even if he wanted to fight his longtime friend, his thunder tome was all used up, leaving him with only a bronze sword. He had no doubt that he would assuredly lose due to his poor-grade sword and weapon triangle disadvantage. Of course, that didn't mean he was out of options. She was a prodigy in almost every right, but Robin has spent several lifetimes getting to know the pegasus knight. He has knowledge on all her strengths…and weaknesses.

The tactician proceeded to run the hell away.

"H-Hey, wait! Get back here!" Cordelia was caught off guard by the sudden action and made to chase after the fleeing tactician.

Robin raced through the streets of Ylisstol, ducking and weaving through the sea of Ylissean citizens. The tactician shot a quick glance behind him, wanting to see how his red-haired pursuer was holding up. Just as anticipated, Cordelia was short of breath and her cheeks were incredibly flushed. Not many were aware of Cordelia's critically low stamina, and it was only because of Robin's multiple lives he was able to pick up her weakness.

The tactician turned into an alley. He quickly hid himself from sight with the help of a few discarded barrels. Robin waited patiently for the prodigious, pegasus knight to make her appearance. A few beats later, Cordelia arrived in the alley. Her face was flushed with exhaustion, skin glistened with sweat, and her red locks a mess.

"W-Where…is he?" Cordelia wheezed out.

"Boo." The pegasus knight immediately turned towards the sound, only for her vision to be obscured when the tactician had thrown his cloak over her.

"What th-!" Robin tackled Cordelia to the ground, effectively knocking the air out of her lungs. Taking advantage of the knight's vulnerability, the tactician promptly used his cloak as makeshift bindings and tied her up. "H-Hey! Untie me!"

"And have you try to arrest me again? No thanks." Robin cheekily smiled down at the fallen pegasus knight whilst kicking her lance out of arm's reach.

"I command you to untie me! I-I am one of Ylisse's Pegasus Knight, my squad will be here any second!" She yelled, struggling against the surprisingly, tough cloak.

Robin rolled his eyes at the knight's threat and proceeded to seat himself next to her. Cordelia's eyes widened when she saw the tactician extend his hand towards her. Thinking it was an attack, she closed her eyes and awaited for the oncoming pain. However, instead of pain, she felt the tactician's hand ruffling her hair.

"Not until you hear what I have to say." Robin countered cheerfully, still ruffling his old friend's hair. The tactician observed the knight's cheeks grow as red as her hair, out of exhaustion or embarrassment, he wasn't sure. Probably both.

"W-W-What is there to say?!" She stuttered, squirming uncomfortably. "Y-You're a criminal who's been terrorizing innocent citizens!" She paused for a moment. "And now you've assaulted a pegasus knight!"

"I assure you, there's been a bit of misunderstanding." The tactician laughed. "Before we start, name's Robin. Could I get your name as well? I'd like something to refer you by." He asked, feigning ignorance.

The knight scoffed at the suggestion. "A-As if I'll give you my name."

"Fine, I'll give you one then." Robin placed a hand under his chin, imitating a thinking pose "You look like a Greg to me."

Predictably, Cordelia was absolutely horrified by the tactician's choice of name. "W-What?! How do I look li-"

"So Greg!" Robin carried on, ignoring the prodigy's disgusted expression. "Like I said, there's been a bit of misunderstanding. Contrary to popular belief, I did not come to Ylisstol to cause havoc."

"Then explain why people were screaming about a bloody plegian who looked as if he had murdered someone."

"First off, I didn't murder anyone…in Ylisstol anyway." Cordelia tensed up at the tactician's added words. "Secondly, that's my blood on that cloak and I'm wearing it because it's the only one I have."

Cordelia looked down at her makeshift bindings and wrinkled her nose at the blood that drenched the cloak. "Could you untie me already? I'm not exactly comfortable with touching dried blood."

"In a bit." Robin responded distractedly whilst patting her head.

She unconsciously pouted at the action. "Could you also stop doing that?"

"Why's that?" The tactician continued to play with her hair, ignoring her words.

"Besides that it's humiliating and inappropriate?" The pegasus knight glared up at the tactician. The undaunting gaze would've been intimidating it weren't for her red cheeks, pout, and how she was laying on her side. "I don't even know who you are."

He placed a hand over his heart and acted as if he was shot by an arrow. "What are you talking about?! You know my name is Robin and I know your name is Greg."

"My name is Cordelia!"

"Cordelia! Now I know your name, making us friends. And friends let other friends play with their hair."

Cordelia allowed an explosive sigh to escape her mouth, quickly growing tired of her current predicament. "If you're not here to disturb the peace, why did you come to Ylisstol then?"

"I was recently invited to the Shepherds by Chrom, and now I'm here to acquaint myself with the rest." The tactician answered truthfully.

"Lies." Cordelia scoffed with an eye roll.

"Oh?" Robin quirked a brow at the pegasus knight next to him, slightly surprised by the instant dismissal. "Why would you think I was lying?"

"I'm actually good friends with Chrom!" The pegasus knight beamed, raising her nose in an almost smug manner. "I've known her long enough to know that she wouldn't invite the likes of you into the Shepherds."

"Likes of me? That's kinda racist of you."

"Not because you're Plegian!" She snapped. "The likes of people who tie others up, just so they can feel their hair!"

"To be fair, your hair is very soft." Robin defended, twirling a red lock with his finger.

Glowering at the man, the pegasus knight continued to talk. "Lady Chrom is a refined and beautiful woman! She is the sole wielder of the legendary sword, Falchion, a blade said to be forged from Naga's very own fang! The leader of the Shepherds, a group of the finest warriors in all of Ylisse! There was one time I asked to spar with her and sh-"

Robin blinked as the pegasus knight continued to praise and gush over the blue-haired princess. " _Huh, so no matter what gender, Cordelia will always admire Chrom in some form. Though I wonder, is her admiration purely platonic or maybe more? Welp time to find out!_ "

"You seem to hold Chrom in high regards."Robin observed.

"I do! She's amazing!" Cordelia gushed.

"Of course, but it seems your admiration for Chrom goes beyond the realm of being purely platonic."

"What are you implying?" She furrowed her brows, genuinely confused on what the tactician was suggesting.

"From my perspective, it would seem you are quite infatuated with the swordswoman." Silence overtook the environment once the tactician's words left his mouth. The words hanged in the air as realization slowly dawned within the pegasus knight.

She acted accordingly.

"WHAT?!" Cordelia screeched, absolutely murdering the silence between the two. Robin amusedly observed the the prodigy's expression alternate between shock and disgust. He got his answer, now it was time tease the poor girl.

"There's no need to worry." The tactician gave the woman a reassuring pat on the head. "I'm sure Ylisse is more than willing to accept your romantic preference."

"I-I'm not like that! I only see Chrom as a friend!" She hastily denied, her cheeks heating up from embarrassment.

"You say that, but you're blushing quite the storm." Robin pointed out, poking her cheek.

"Of course I am! Who accuses someone of that?!"

"I wouldn't say accuse. From what I heard, you sounded quite whimsical when you described all of Chrom's defining qualities."

Cordelia tried to stammer and sputter another response, but was cut off by a new voice.

"Oh my!" The two whipped their heads to the source of the sound.

Standing there was Emmeryn, the Exalt of Ylisse.

She was not the only one there, however.

Phila, the leader of Ylisse's Pegasus Knights, stared open-mouthed at the bounded Cordelia. Chrom and Lissa stared at Robin, who was still playing with the prodigy's hair, not minding the audience. Frederick stood by, looking as if he needed a stiff drink.

"Hey guys! I made a new friend!" Robin greeted cheerfully, signalling to Cordelia.

"I can see that…" Chrom said slowly. The blue-haired princess turned to her. "It's good to see you Cordelia."

The only response that Cordelia was willing to give was an embarrassed groan.

* * *

"I let him out of my sight for a mere moment…" Frederick muttered to himself, his hands vigorously massaging his temple. "In that moment, he terrified a good portion of Ylisstol's populace and assaulted a respected pegasus knight."

"Honestly, I'm not sure if I should be disappointed or impressed." Chrom shook her head in disbelief. "At the very least, no one was hurt during the ordeal."

"I believe we came upon an unconscious man during our search for the Ple-, tactician." The knight drawled, correcting his slip.

"Ah, yes…" Chrom winced at the memory. "Nevermind then."

Frederick felt his headache intensify momentarily. After the tactician had strolled into the city, the three shepherds were unable to find the man anywhere, resulting in a frantic search throughout the city. The great knight was still baffled on how Robin could seemingly disappear in such a short amount of time. During their search, they met up with the Exalt of Ylisse and eldest sister of Chrom and Lissa, Emmeryn. Accompanying her was her ever so loyal bodyguard, Phila.

Emmeryn had been taking a stroll through her kingdom, greeting her followers with the grace and poise expected of an Exalt. She was the beacon to all Ylisseans, a reminder of what the very first Exalt had fought for, peace. She walks amongst the common folk to provide her people a sense of calm, reassuring them that the established peace will hold strong. With Plegia's presence becoming more apparent and the possibility of war looming over Ylisse, the citizens now needed their Exalt's calm presence more than ever.

After the three shepherds and Exalt had exchanged pleasantries, Emmeryn had asked them what they were doing. Chrom had explained that they were currently searching for Robin who had gotten lost in the streets of Ylisstol. Once the princess had mentioned that Robin was the newest member of the Shepherds, the Exalt's eyes noticeably lit up. Emmeryn had always enjoyed meeting new members of the Shepherds as Chrom has the tendency of inviting the more colorful individuals, Vaike and Miriel being prime examples. As a result, she had volunteered to help find the missing tactician. Phila and Frederick himself had been against it, but Emmeryn stayed firm with her decision.

" _I suppose Chrom had to get her stubbornness from someone._ " The knight mused to himself. He allowed his eyes to land on his blue-haired ward, a fond smile gracing his lips. He let his gaze linger for a brief moment before turning back to the streets. After finding Robin and Cordelia in a compromising position, the group had decided to make their way to the castle. Frederick allowed his eyes to roam the group until it fell onto Lissa.

The youngest sibling of the Ylissean royalty is currently making conversation with the prodigious pegasus knight. Lissa has taken total control of the conversation as Cordelia was too preoccupied with smothering the heat from her cheeks, obviously still affected by her interactions with Robin. As a victim of Robin's teases and jokes, Frederick can sympathize.

"It's been a while hasn't it, Cordelia? How have you been recently?" Lissa began, curious about the pegasus knight's personal life.

"I've been fine…how about you, lady Lissa?"

"Hey!" Cordelia jumped at the sudden noise from the blonde princess. "None of that 'lady' business! We've known each other ever since we were kids!"

"That is true, but-"

"Ah, ah, ah! No buts! It's just Lissa from now on! Got it?!" Cordelia blinked, surprised by the princess's insistence on losing the honorific. With a sigh, the knight complied.

"My apologies, Lissa."

"That's better! So how have you been recently?" She repeated the question.

"Erm…I already answered that, Lissa." The knight furrowed her brows in confusion.

"I want a real answer this time! Come on, I actually want to know what you've been doing!" Again, Cordelia was surprised by the princess's genuineness.

The pegasus knight's lips pressed into a small smile. "Well, recently I've been experimenting on new lance techniques…" The two soon delved into their own private conversation, paying no mind to anyone around them.

Frederick smiled at the sight. " _Lissa was always one of the more sociable person, always willing to go out of her way to interact with someone. The princess exudes an infectious aura that seemingly attracts people to her presence._ " The knight's smile dropped. " _To think she wouldn't be here if it wasn't for…_ " His eyes trailed to the tactician, who was currently conversing with the Exalt.

Frederick wasn't sure what to make of the tactician. On one hand, the tactician was still not above suspicion. A Plegian man found in the middle of Ylisse, the rival country no less, who is equipped with a tome and a sword. More than once, he has shown to be well verse with both weapons and has a mind for tactics. He claims to have amnesia, yet he knows the names of the great knight and blue-haired princess. It was not too far fetched to believe that the man was indeed a Plegian spy, amnesia be damned.

On the other hand, he saved his charges' lives. While Frederick wasn't able to participate in last night's battle, Robin had taken control of the situation and led the Shepherds to victory. Not only that, the tactician had willingly jumped in the paths of the arrows that were aimed at Lissa, Frederick witnessed the event unfold himself.

" _If Robin was an actual Plegian spy, why didn't he leave the princesses to die? Was it to gain their trust for a future operation? Even so, he had went out of his way to save Lissa and could have easily succumbed to his wounds. Not typical spy behavior."_ Frederick released a sigh, wishing he could read the tactician's mind.

"So you're Chrom's and Lissa's older sister? Making them princesses?" Emmeryn nodded, answering the tactician's question. "Huh, that's neat."

The knight twitched once the word 'neat' left the tactician's mouth. He never believed he could hate a single word as much as he did, and only in one day at that. Frederick felt the urge to question how he would know Chrom's name but not her status. He quenched the desire, it was about time he gave the tactician some benefit of the doubt.

"What?" Chrom called from beside the knight. "You didn't know Lissa and I were princesses?"

"I have amnesia, Chrom. Can't believe you forgot after only a single day." Robin shook his head disappointedly.

The princess gave him a deadpanned look. "I don't even know why I'm even surprise." She looked away and muttered to herself.

"You have amnesia?" The Exalt asked the tactician beside her.

"Yep." Robin answered simply. "Woke up in some random field with no memories whatsoever."

Emmeryn nodded sadly. "To wake up with no memories of your past, it must have been a frightening experience."

"I suppose." He shrugged. "Though it could've been worse if the Shepherds hadn't come upon me." Robin paused to nod towards the three shepherds behind him. "They were able to calm me down and help me catch my bearings."

"Ah that's good to hear." The Exalt smiled. "Was this when my sister offered you a place in the Shepherds?"

"Not yet, she invited me to the Shepherds after we fought off a group of brigands that had attacked a town nearby."

"Everything went smoothly, I hope?" Emmeryn asked, a twinge of worry in her voice.

"Don't worry, we were able to make it in time." Robin laughed off the Exalt's worry. "Once the bandits were driven off, Chrom had invited me to the Shepherds."

"Even with your amnesia, you were able to retain your combative abilities. That must have been quite fortunate."

"It was." He agreed immediately. A brief moment passed before a smile crossed the tactician's lips. "Seeing that I've answered your question, it's only fair you do the same, right?"

Frederick narrowed his eyes upon hearing Robin's question. " _What is he doing? Is he trying to extract information from the Exalt herself? Was my hunch correct, is he truly a Plegian spy?_ "

Phila, who had been glaring at the tactician the entire time, seemed to have caught on as well. "Watch your tongue, Plegian." Her glare intensified, hoping the tactician would cower under her gaze.

Frederick knew better. "What? I'm just trying to make conversation." Robin defended, an annoyingly bright smile on his face. "Besides, I have amnesia! I'm just trying to learn more about my surroundings."

"The Exalt is not obligated to answer any of your questions!" Phila snapped. "Be grateful she would even-"

"Phila, that's enough." The woman's mouth snapped shut. Emmeryn gave her bodyguard a light glare. "What would you like to know?" She asked, returning her attention to the tactician, smile returning to her face.

"Being their older sister, you've known Chrom and Lissa your entire life, correct?"

"That is correct, why do you ask?" Emmeryn tilted her head in slight puzzlement.

Robin's smile grew bigger as he prepared his next words. Frederick glowered at the back of the man's head, fists clenched tightly by his sides. Depending on what comes out of the tactician's mouth, the knight would intervene and apprehend the man immediately. He would protect the Ylissean royalties, no matter what.

"Know any embarrassing stories about them?"

" _Huh?_ " Frederick blinked several times, not sure if he heard the tactician correctly. The knight turned towards Phila to see that she was also experiencing a similar level of shock and bewilderment.

"Hmm?" Emmeryn smiled, her expression akin to a cat that ate a canary. "I suppose I do, but why those stories specifically?"

Robin mimicked the Exalt's expression. "Why not?"

"A fair point!" Accepting the tactician's simple reasoning almost immediately. "I shall regale you a few tales of their youth."

Frederick let out a breath and followed it with a shake of his head, silently scolding himself for his paranoia. He turned his head to his blue-haired royal beside, expecting a good natured smile or perhaps an eyeroll at the Exalt's behavior. Curiously, the knight found Chrom standing rigidly, her face blanched and eyes wide as dinner plates. He furrowed his brow in puzzlement and looked to Lissa, who was also suffering a similar expression.

"H-Hey look!" Lissa exclaimed, interrupting Emmeryn's retelling of any embarrassing events. The blonde princess raised her hand and pointed at the Ylisstol castle. "We're here! You should get going sis, seeing as you're super busy being the Exalt and all that!" She ended her outburst with a nervous laughter.

"T-That's right." Chrom decided to cut in, trying to hide the panic in her voice. "We must inform the council of what the Shepherds and I had found during our patrol. N-No time for stories of our youths."

Emmeryn smiled at her two sisters' actions, fully knowing what they were trying to do. "It would seem I must be off Sir Robin, a shame I couldn't provide you any stories." The two princesses both let out a sigh of relief.

"Perhaps we could exchange stories over tea in the near future?" Robin offered.

"That would be lovely." Emmeryn accepted with a smile, effectively making her sisters panic once again.

Lissa and Chrom shared a determined look to one another, seemingly sending each other silent messages. If Frederick could listen to their thoughts, he would likely hear something along the lines of 'Keep those two away from each other'.

"Let us be off, Phila. The council awaits us." Emmeryn announced.

"Of course, my Exalt." The Pegasus Commander bowed her head. She turned to address the prodigious pegasus knight. "Cordelia return to the barracks and take the rest of the day off." Phila shot Robin a glare. "You deserve it after what happened today."

"T-Thank you, commander!" Surprised by the day off, but appreciated it nonetheless. She bid everyone farewell and parted from the group.

"Well, Frederick and I will be joining the council meeting." Chrom addressed Robin and Lissa. "Be sure to take Robin to the barracks and introduce him to everyone, ok Lissa?"

"Gotcha sister!" Lissa mocked saluted, bringing out a chuckle from the older princess. Chrom proceeded to disappear into the castle.

Frederick stayed with the two remaining shepherds, all the while staring at the tactician the entire time. He allowed his gaze to linger until he decided to extend his hand towards the man, a sigh leaving his mouth.

"Welcome to the Shepherds." Frederick forced a small smile to at least look amiable.

Robin blinked at the hand for a second before smiling. He grasped the appendage wholeheartedly, shaking the knight's hand with surprising vigor.

"Glad to be apart of it, Fred!"

Frederick's smile died instantly.

* * *

A/N: Here's chapter three. Not much to say besides that I spent a bit too much time on Cordelia, but it was a stupid enough scenario that I had to type it out. Next chapter, Robin will be introduced to the other Shepherds and I'll try to fit in a moment between Robin and Chrom.

Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

"Here we are! The Shepherds' garrison!" Lissa spread her arms wide open and presented the interior of the barracks as if she were selling it to the tactician.

Robin took a step inside, eyes roaming every inch of the garrison. After briefly examining the interior, it was safe to say that this place was a mess.

"This place is a mess." Robin decided to voice aloud, eyeing the assortment of items that littered the stone floors.

Throughout his lives, Robin had always remembered the Shepherd's garrison to be dirty, chaotic, but most importantly…

" _It was home._ " Robin allowed a smile to grace his lips, once another wave of nostalgia hit him full force. No matter how many lives, the garrison will always hold a warm place in his heart.

"Hey, it isn't that bad." Lissa pouted and latched onto the tactician's arm. She began to drag the man deeper into the barracks. "Now come on, you gotta introduce yourself."

"Fine, fine." Robin playfully swatted the princess's hands away. "You don't need to keep dragging me around, you know"

"I'm just making sure you don't get lost on the way here." She smiled upon remembering what had happen when the tactician had left her sight. "Don't want you terrifying the people of Ylisstol again."

"To be fair, I only purposely terrified one citizen, the rest were collateral." The tactician boasted, being proud of the fact that he had made someone faint.

"That's not something to be proud of." Lissa pouted.

"Says you, as someone who woke up with no recollection of his previous memories, I consider knocking out that man as one of my most defining moments!"

Lissa rolled her eyes. "Uh huh, well let's introduce you to-" The princess had the wind knocked out of her when something crashed into her person. That something was actually a someone who looked quite familiar to the tactician.

"Lissa, my treasure! Are you all right?! I've been on pins and needles!" The ever so pompous and snobbish Maribelle yelled in worriment, wrapping her arms around the princess in a protective manner. "Oh, please tell me you were safe! I would simply die if I were to find that you've been injured in any way!"

"Oh…hey…Maribelle." Lissa rasped each word, still affected by the troubadours crushing embrace.

"Oh, hey? Is that all you have to say?!" The noblewoman questioned sternly. "I've sprouted fourteen gray hairs fretting over you!"

Lissa quickly caught her breath and smiled sheepishly at her possessive friend. "Aw, you worry too much. See, I'm completely fine." The princess waited for the noblewoman to release her from the hug. She did not. "You can let go now, Maribelle."

"I shall not." Maribelle responded curtly. "You claim you are fine, but I noticed you were out of breath when I greeted you!"

"That's because you crashed into me." Her words were immediately ignored.

"For that, I will keep you close until I am positive you are completely fine!" Maribelle tighten her hold onto Lissa, eliciting a strangled cry from the princess.

Robin stood to the side, silently amused by the intimate moment between the two longtime friends. Maribelle the Dire Damsel, is a woman known for her prideful and haughty attitude. Such attributes has deterred most people from interacting with the troubadour, resulting in a lonely existence. Thankfully for her, Lissa was not most people. The princess was one of the few people who had decided to get to know the noblewoman, melting away her cold exterior to reveal her very affectionate and possessive interior.

The tactician chuckled to himself when Lissa had slowly returned the hug. It was honestly, one of the most adorable scene he had the pleasure of witnessing.

"Robin could you help me, please?" Lissa asked, tiredly turning her attention to the tactician. Even having said that, a hint of warmth could be spotted within her eyes.

Robin flickered his eyes to Maribelle, who was about to fuse with Lissa by the hip. "I'm not good with women."

"What?" Lissa's brows knitted together. "You've spent a whole day with me and Chrom!"

A brief moment past. "Like I said, I'm not good with women."

The repeated line prompted a glare from the blonde princess. "Just help me!"

The tactician raised his hands in surrender, even though he found the attempted glare incredibly adorable. "Ok, fine." He walked towards the pair, ready to aid the youngest princess to the best of his abilities.

He pulled the pair into a bear hug.

"Robin!" Lissa squeaked when she felt the warm embrace from behind. Maribelle didn't seem to care very much, her face pressed into the princess's neck.

"What?" Robin questioned with feigned ignorance. "You told me to help and I'm helping you. Make up your mind, woman."

"T-This isn't what I meant!" She yelled. The princess tried to squirm out of the two Shepherd's iron-like grips. Unfortunately for Lissa, being sandwiched between two people didn't exactly give her enough room to escape.

"Well, let this be a lesson then." The tactician tutted. He proceeded to rest his chin on top of the princess's head, much to her continued embarrassment. "In the future, be sure to be specific when asking for help. For your punishment, you shall endure these hugs for a few more moments."

"Why would you even think I wanted another hug?!" Lissa's cheeks began to grow increasingly red as the double embrace endured.

"Has anyone ever mentioned you smelled nice, Lissa?" Robin asked casually, earning an indignant squawk when he blatantly ignored the princess's question. "I can't place the scent though, cinnamon maybe?"

Another squeak escaped the princess's mouth when she felt the noblewoman inhale her scent. "I believe it is vanilia." Maribelle answered the tactician's question in a cordial manner.

"Ah, thank you miss…" Robin allowed his words to linger, waiting for Maribelle to introduce herself.

"Apologies, I should have introduced myself sooner. My name is Maribelle." Her words were muffled since her face was still firmly pressed against her friend's neck. "May I have your name, sir?"

"My name's Robin. Nice to meet you, Maribelle."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir Robin." The troubadour attempted a graceful curtsy, but it became an awkward motion seeing that her arms were still preoccupied with crushing Lissa's spine. "I assume you the newest member of the Shepherds, correct?"

"H-Hey guys, could you guys have a conversation when you're not squeezing me to death?" Lissa begged, ticklish from Maribelle talking into her neck. "People are going to ask questions if they find us like this!"

"That's correct, Maribelle." Robin answered the troubadour's inquiry, ignoring the princess a second time. Said princess proceeded to stomp on the tactician's foot, which he also paid no mind to. "I've been recruited to act as the dedicated tactician for the Shepherds."

"Is that so?" Maribelle removed her face from the princess's neck to stare up at Robin. For the first time, she examined the tactician before her, wrinkling her nose when noticing the Plegian design of his cloak. Plus the bloodstains. "Hmm, I'm surprised Chrom would recruit a Plegian into her fold."

"I assure you." The tactician flashed an innocence smile. "I hold no love for my home country or any memories, for the matter."

"Any memories? Do you suffer from amnesia?" The troubadour waited for the tactician to nod before continuing. "A peculiar decision to make an amnesiatic man in charge of the lives of many."

Robin mentally conceded to Maribelle's statement. It was a particular notion that the tactician had brought up several times in his previous lives. " _Hey Chrom, why did you decide to make an amnesiac the commanding officer of your military force?_ "

"I hope you know what you are doing, sir Robin." The tactician was knocked out of his thoughts when he picked up on the noblewoman's words. "You have the lives of many people on your shoulders, one single mistake and we will all meet an untimely demise."

If there were two words to describe Maribelle, it would be 'without' and 'tact', in that order. "Not to worry." Robin began, hoping to assuage the noblewoman's worries. "I assure you that I am capable to lead the Shepherds in their future endeavors. In fact, I was able to aid Chrom and Lissa in a battle from the previous night."

The noblewoman's eyes lit up considerably. "Ah, Sully did mention a skirmish with these so called, Ash-faced Freaks. If what you say is true, I see no reason to doubt your tactical prowess." She smiled at the tactician. "Seeing that Lissa is safe and sound, I look forward to battling alongside you."

"As do I." Robin returned her smile with his own. "Together we shall protect Lissa with all of our might!"

"Yes! My thoughts exactly!" The two Shepherd's finalized their established companionship with one final squeeze of the blonde princess.

"I'm…going…to…die…" Lissa choked out, resigned to her fate as Robin's and Maribelle's squeeze toy.

"Heya squirt!" The tactician's ears perked up once another familiar voice enter his ears. He turned his head to the source of the noise, already knowing the owner of the voice.

Before Robin was Vaike and all of his shirtless glory. If one decided to categorize the axe-wielding fighter, he would most certainly be placed in the muscle-bound, meathead section. The fighter was no doubt one of the physically, stronger member of the Shepherds, able to cleave through both people and risen with minimum effort. However, his head could be a bit spacious at times, his consistent forgetfulness throughout the many lifetimes comes to the forefront of the tactician's mind. Robin has, more than once, fought the urge to stick an axe up Vaike's bumhole so that he wouldn't keep leaving his axe behind.

Major irritations aside, Robin still appreciated the fighter's company. When Vaike's brain decided to function, he was an incredibly dependable fighter and could even hold up a conversation on the best days. The fighter was a constant source of entertainment with his exaggerated tales of adventure and wonder, even if Robin has heard it all by now. Vaike has also invited the tactician out for drinking after every mission, which were always a pleasant experience.

"You know where Chrom is…" Vaike's words died in his throat once he closed the distance between himself and the three shepherds. He blinked a few times as he took in the sight in front of him. His gaze flickered to Lissa's pleading expression, Maribelle's content appearance, and Robin's casual manner. "Uh, what's going on here?"

"Vaike…help…" Lissa wheezed, eyes desperate for the fighter's interference.

"Umm…" Vaike looked towards Maribelle, only to be met with a glare that could most definitely kill him on the spot.

The troubadour's gaze screamed " _Try it bitch!_ "

The fighter promptly shifted his sights to the tactician.

"You look new." Vaike pointedly refused to make further eye contact with the noblewoman. "You a new shepherd or something?"

"Yep." Robin unlatched one arm around the princess to give the fighter a wave. He noticed that Vaike had shot a glance towards his robes. "And before you ask, no, I'm not a Plegian spy here to assassinate the princesses." Just as the tactician expected, Vaike let out a hearty chuckle at his claim.

"I wasn't going to accuse you or anything! I don't care if you're a Ylissean or Plegian!" The fighter wiped an invisible tear from his eye. "As long as you keep fighting for Ylisse, you're A-okay in my book!"

Similar to Chrom, Vaike was always an 'action speaks louder than words' kinda guy. He pays no mind to where a person originated as he himself grew up in the seedier parts of Ylisstol. As long as they could fight and fight for what's right, Vaike will treat anyone as if they were a longtime friend.

"Name's Vaike, but most people call me Teach." He flashed his teeth at the tactician. "The Shepherd's strongest fighter!"

"Shepherd's strongest fighter?" A new voice sounded. Following the voice, stepped in everyone's favorite, viridian knight, Stahl. "I think some members are prepared to challenge that claim." The knight continued with a chuckle, taking his place next to the axe-wielding fighter.

"Come on, be serious! Who could compete with the Vaike?!" The fighter challenged.

"Chrom and Frederick comes to mind." The viridian knight replied simply, a lazy smile present on his lips.

Vaike scoffed at the knight's answer. "Please, I taught those two everything they know! They don't call me Teach for nothing!"

"Is that so?" Yet another voice decided to chime in, this time feminine. Robin turned to the source to find the Shepherd's very own pegasus knight, Sumia. "Why don't we ask them ourselves?"

The pegasus knight made an exaggerated motion of looking behind the axe-wielding fighter. "Captain Chrom, is Vaike's claim true?"

Vaike instinctively jumped, frightened of the prospect that the blue-haired princess had heard of his false claim. He silently calmed himself, ready to profusely apologize to the Ylissean royal and explain why he had made such a blatant lie in the first place. He turned around to meet…nothing but air. The fighter was struck with a brief moment of confusion until he heard laughter from his sides.

"Oh haha, very funny!" Vaike growled, sending a withering glare at Stahl and Sumia.

"Sorry Vaike, you make it too easy sometimes." Stahl clapped a hand on the fighter's shoulder to show he meant no harm. The knight stifle his laughter and turned his attention towards the tactician.

"My name is Stahl, nice to meet you. I would shake your hand, but I see that your arms are full." The knight nodded towards the tactician's arms, still wrapped around Lissa's body. The princess looked as if she was dying. Probably nothing.

Robin smiled at the viridian knight. Stahl was by far the friendliest shepherd, if not the friendliest person the tactician has ever had the pleasure of meeting. "Name's Robin and likewise." He flashed a smile which the knight returned with gusto.

"Hello." Sumia greeted, garnering the tactician's attention. "My name is Sumia, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance RoBINNNN!" The pegasus knight screamed the last part of his name when she had seemingly tripped over nothing. Everyone around gave a collective wince once the pegasus knight's face make contact with the floor.

" _Poor Sumia._ " Robin thought somberly. " _It's a shame that her clumsiness stayed consistent throughout the lives._ " The tactician made to untangled himself from the princess he was hugging, in order to check if the pegasus knight was alright…

...but he was beaten to the punch by a certain great knight.

"Sumia!" Frederick yelled from across the garrison. He quickly made his way to the fallen pegasus knight, with Chrom following close behind. "You must be more careful in the future." The great knight chided lightly, gently picking up and steadying the girl.

"Are you alright?" Chrom asked, worriment clear in her voice. "Are your boots acting up again?"

"No, no, no! Everything is alright." The pegasus knight tried to reassure the two shepherds, forcing a small smile on her lips. "See? No blood this time!"

"That's not something to be proud of." Frederick frowned. He proceeded to take out a handkerchief and began to wipe off the dirt that accumulated on Sumia's face.

"I-It's fine, F-Frederick…" Sumia stuttered, becoming rigid from Frederick's touch. Her skin flushed a bright red as the knight's gentle ministrations continued.

"It is not." Frederick reprimanded firmly, meticulously removing every particle of dirt on the pegasus knight's cheeks. "As a member of the Shepherds, one must be at their very best for the sake of the other remaining shepherds and the people of Ylisse." Sumia mutely nodded at the knight's reasoning, not trusting herself to form intelligible words.

" _Oh?_ " Robin observed the two shepherd's interactions with great interest, primarily focused on Sumia's scarlet cheeks. A large smile spread across the tactician's face. " _My matchmaking senses are tingling!_ " He thought gleefully, almost jumping in place.

Throughout Robin's various lives, his fellow shepherds' romantic choices were usually a bit of a toss-up. Sure, there were pairings that stayed prominent throughout the tactician's lives. One prime example being Lissa and Lon'qu, the princess being a sucker for the mysterious swordsmen type. However, the majority of the shepherd's romantic interests were far less cemented. As a result, it was the tactician's duty to pair everyone of his shepherds himself! Heck, Chrom had married five different women in five separate lives. Now that Chrom was a woman…the possibilities were endless!

Was it in poor taste to treat his friends' romantic possibilities as a sort of game? Yes.

Did the tactician care? Hell no!

Robin allowed his eyes to drift to the other shepherds, wanting to gauge their reactions to the display before them. Chrom stared at the two knights with a pleasant smile, sending a knowing look at Sumia. Vaike had whispered something particularly amusing to Stahl, who shook his head in amusement.

Maribelle was too busy crushing Lissa in her embrace to pay attention to the two shepherd's interaction. Lissa was too busy being crushed.

" _That settles it, Frederick and Sumia are going to get it on!_ " Robin cheered internally.

Chrom soon shifted her gaze away from her two knights, only for it to land on her sister, who was still sandwiched between two bodies. The princess blinked at the sight for a few beats. "Do I even want to ask how this came about?"

"She wanted a hug." Robin stated simply. Lissa made to speak, likely to refute the tactician's statement, but all she could do was gurgle out an unintelligible mess of words.

Chrom shot Robin a deadpanned look. "Please release my sister, you're going to suffocate her." The tactician released the girl without complaint. "That goes for you too, Maribelle." The noblewoman pouted, but released her nonetheless.

Lissa immediately collapsed to her hands and knees. She took in several deep breaths, hoping to restore the loss of oxygen.

"Lissa dear! Are you alright!" Maribelle exclaimed, ignorant that she was the cause of the princess's state.

Maribelle made to give Lissa another hug, but was stopped by Chrom. "I believe she just needs a bit of room." The blue-haired princess quickly reassured. The noblewoman didn't look fully convinced, biting her lips as she looked at her best friend in worriment. "I will see to it that Lissa returns to full health, she is my precious sister after all."

The noblewoman allowed herself a breath of relief. "Then I shall leave my treasure in your care." Maribelle bowed her head in respect. "Princess Chrom, may I ask of you another favor? I like to request a week's leave from the Shepherds."

"Has something happened?" Chrom's words were laced with concern.

"You needn't worry, Princess Chrom. I am simply returning to my dukedom." Maribelle explained in a cordial manner. "With the recent surge of bandit attacks, I would like to return to Themis to make sure everything is in order."

The blue-haired princess nodded in understanding. "Of course you may leave. Be sure to greet your father for me."

"I shall see to it." The noblewoman smiled. "I bid you all farewell." She performed a graceful curtsy and parted from the group.

The moment Maribelle had left the Shepherd's garrison, Chrom crouched by her sister and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you well, Lissa?"

"Y-Yeah I'm fine, just lost a few years of my life is all." The blonde princess replied sardonically. "I swear, she got stronger the last time I saw her."

"She does seem oddly robust for her size." Robin mused idily.

Lissa whipped her head in the tactician's direction, sending him a venomous glare. "Don't you play innocent! You could have easily separated me and Maribelle, but you just made it worse!"

"I already told you, I'm not good with wom-" Robin was cut off when Lissa stood up from her prone position. The princess charged at the tactician with her arms raised, ready to pummel the man to oblivion.

Sadly for the princess, her strikes uselessly bounced off the the tactician's surprisingly hardy chest. "H-Hey stop! That tickles!" Robin openly laughed, playfully batting away Lissa's attempted attacks.

"It's not supposed to tickle! It's supposed to hurt!" She continued her assault with extra vigour, which only elicited more laughs from the tactician. "Feel my wrath!"

Chrom coughed into her fist. "Alright, listen everyone!" Her eyes scanned the room to see she had garnered everyone's attention. "Tomorrow morning, we'll be marching to Regna Ferox. Our objective is to acquire their assistance in quelling the Plegian menace" The princess paused, allowing her shepherds to process the information. "Typically, the Exalt would have foreseen the making of this alliance herself, but with how persistent the Plegian attacks have been, Ylisstol needs her here more than ever."

The march to Regna Ferox was paramount in the Ylisse-Plegia War.

Once crowned Exalt of Ylisse, Emmeryn refused to follow the warpath that her father had left behind. She immediately ended her father's war peacefully and disbanded the majority of the Ylissean army. At the time, Emmeryn knew that the people of Ylisse were hurting, they needed time to heal and further bloodshed wouldn't do any good. During her rule, Emmeryn adopted a diplomatic approach on every matter, never using violence if she could help it. She promised herself that she would never follow the same path her father took.

However, with the inevitability of war looming over, Ylisse was sorely unprepared. Throughout her rule, Emmeryn had kept the size of the Ylissean forces small, resulting in villages and towns being unprotected from bandit raids. In fact, the lack of protection from potential brigand attacks was the sole reason for the creation of the Shepherds. Now that the drums of war were resounding over the horizon, not even the Shepherds could dream of protecting Ylisse by themselves.

"As a result, I volunteered the Shepherds for the task." Chrom continued her announcement. "Now, this mission is stric-"

"I'll go." Robin's response was immediate.

Chrom blinked at the tactician's interruption, but smiled nevertheless. "Would anyone else like to volu-" The princess was interrupted again, this time by a chorus of noise.

"I volunteer!"

"I'm yours to command, milady."

"You'll be needin Teach!"

"Wonder if there's any feroxi cuisine…"

"I'm not sure if I'll be useful, but I'd like to go."

Chrom looked upon her Shepherds, her lips pressed into a fond smile. "That settles it then! Rest up everyone, we leave first thing tomorrow!"

* * *

Lissa fidgeted in place, hands pulling at her dress out of nervousness. She had been standing in front of a door for a few minutes by now.

" _Should I really be bothering him? He's probably busy or asleep by now._ " The princess pondered to herself, doubting if she should proceed with her current objective. Lissa scanned the wooden door for what seemed like the hundredth time, her eyes landing on the metal nameplate. She reread the name again, already knowing she had found the correct room.

An explosive sigh left the princess's lips. " _This was a waste of time. I'm no good with spells and it wasn't guaranteed he would bother teaching me._ " She glanced at the door once more and turned away, abandoning her original plan.

" _I should just head off to bed, need to rest up for tomorrow's mar-_ " Lissa stopped in place, a shiver ran down her spine. She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself and clenched her eyes shut.

Memories of last night's battle began to flood her mind.

" _Lissa! Behind you!" Her sister screamed in absolute terror._

 _Lissa whipped her head around, eyes wide when she had pinpointed two arrows flying straight towards here. Not knowing what to do, she clenched her eyes shut, hoping the action would somehow mitigate the inevitable pain._

 _The princess's eyes snapped open when she heard a grunt of pain. In front of her was the tactician himself, Robin. He had went out of his way and taken the two arrows himself, the same two arrows that were meant for her._

" _Robin are you ok?!" A sense of dread overcame the princess when the tactician's wounds came in full view._

"So…so much blood…" Lissa whimpered to herself. She clenched her eyes tighter, desperately trying to force out the painful memories. She took in several deep breaths, hoping for the thoughts of last night's skirmish would subside. Lissa leaned against a wall, hand over her thunderous heart. She continued to inhale large, breaths of air, until her mind calmed and her heart became steady.

The princess stood in place for a moment, absentmindedly staring at the door she had sought out for. In a single beat, Lissa hopped off the wall, her back straightened, and her eyes burned with fiery determination. She stomped towards her designated area, not caring if her steps would wake the other occupants of the garrison. The princess stood in front of the wooden entrance for the second time, a pang of apprehension gripped her, but she promptly murdered it in cold-blood.

" _I have to at least try. I owe it to Robin, the Shepherds, and myself to grow stronger._ " With newfound resolution, Lissa raised her fist and tapped the door twice.

"Huh? Oh, coming!" The princess heard the voice muffle from inside the bedchamber. Mechanisms could be heard being unlocked as the doorknob turned, revealing one of the youngest members of the Shepherds, Ricken.

"Oh, hey there Lissa." The young mage greeted. "Surprised to find you awake at this hour."

"Hey Ricken." The princess greeted lamely, mildly surprised that Ricken was still in his robes and not sleepwear. She peeked over the mage, he wasn't exactly tall, and found books splayed throughout the entirety of his chambers. "I could say the same to you."

"Y-Yeah…" Ricken answered sheepishly, a hand running through his red locks. "I'm still behind when it comes to combat experience so I have to make it up somehow, you know?"

"I gotcha, but…wow, that's a lot of books!"

"I may be overdoing it, just a bit." Ricken allowed a laugh to escape his lips. "So what can I do for you?"

The princess rubbed her hands nervously, not fully making eye contact with the mage. "Could I come into your room for a bit?" Ricken's response was instanetous.

"W-What?!" The mage yelped, eyes wide and cheeks ablazed in embarrassment. "L-Lissa, I'm not sure about this! N-Not that I don't think you're p-pretty, b-but…"

Lissa furrowed her brows in confusion until she eyed the blush on the mage's cheeks, realisation dawned on the princess and her face matched the boy's. "T-That's not what I meant! I just wanted some privacy to talk!"

"O-Oh, that's good…n-not that I didn't want t-"

"I-It's fine, Ricken." Lissa interrupted, praying that the heat on her cheeks would die down. "So can I come in?"

"Y-Yeah, watch your step…" Ricken moved to the side, giving Lissa ample space to enter his bedchambers. The princess tiptoed over the books that littered the floor and sat on the edge of the mage's bed. The mage himself, decided to lean against his bookshelf. "S-So what can I do for you?"

After staring at her lap for a moment, she snapped her head towards the mage, who almost jumped when spotting the intensity of the princess's gaze. "Could you teach me how to use tomes?"

Ricken blinked at the princess's words. "You want to cast spells? I thought you were fine with acting as support and mending wounds?"

"I was." Lissa admitted, turning her head away. "But after experiencing two battles in a row, I don't feel like I'm contributing as much as I should."

"You had two battles?!" The mage's eyes brighten considerably, a whimsical glint could be found within them. "Was it exciting?! Did you-" Ricken stopped himself when he noticed how crestfallen the princess looked. He coughed into his palm and steadied himself. "S-Sorry that was…childish of me. I take it that it didn't go so well?"

"Someone almost died because of me." Ricken stiffened as the words filled the room.

"Oh…"

" _My thoughts exactly._ " Lissa thought somberly. The mage stared at the princess, silently deliberating something to himself. He left his spot from the bookcase and sat next to the girl.

A hand was tentatively placed on the princess's shoulder. "Um, there, there." The mage's words were spoken so awkwardly that it forced out a snort from the princess. "H-Hey, I'm trying to help."

"S-Sorry!" Stifling her laugh, Lissa began to speak. "So will you teach me?"

"Well, I'm not against having another spellcaster in the Shepherds, but why ask me?" Ricken removed his hand and tilted his head quizzically. "Miriel is probably the better choice, she's been studying magic much longer than I have."

"That's true, but I don't think she'd make the best teacher." The princess admitted honestly. "Most of the words she uses usually goes over my head."

"That goes for most of the other shepherds." The mage smiled. "I guess I could try to teach yo-"

Ricken didn't have the chance to finish when a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him into a crushing hug. "Thank you, thank you! You won't regret your decision, I promise you that!" Wildly flailing his arms, Ricken managed to rip himself away from the princess's grip.

"J-Jeez, don't kill me before I even teach you anything." The mage wheezed, face red from either embarrassment or almost suffocating. Probably both. "Don't expect too much, I'm not exactly the most ideal teacher."

"Aww, don't say that. I'm sure you'll teach me lots of cool things!" Lissa cheered, giddy with excitement and determination to get stronger.

"At least one of us is optimistic." Ricken offered the princess a tired smile. "Well, it's getting late. You should probably head back to your ro-" The mage's words died in his mouth when his stomach roared in hunger. "A-Ah, I knew I shouldn't have skipped dinner."

Lissa giggled to herself and reached into her pack. "Here, it's not much but I have some candy if you're that hungry."

"That'd be great. Thanks, Lissa."

"It's the least I can do…Huh?" The princess rummaged through her pack a second time. "That's weird, I can't find it."

"Maybe you already ate it." The mage offered.

"No, I would've remembered. I wonder who took it?"

* * *

"Robin?"

While making her way to her bedchamber, Chrom noticed the tactician standing by the entrance of the Shepherd's garrison. The man was currently donning his Plegian robes, which was now stitched up and blood-free. Having heard his name, Robin turned around and scanned the room, until his eyes landed on the blue-haired princess.

"Oh, hey Chrom." The tactician greeted casually, slipping his arm in the final sleeve of the cloak. "What brings you out at this hour?"

"I could say the same to you." Chrom decided against heading to her bedchamber and walked over to the tactician.

"I've decided to take a stroll through the city." Robin nodded towards the open door. "Seeing as everyone is now asleep and my cloak is stainless, I believe I can walk through the streets without the worry of being arrested again."

Chrom smiled at the memory. "Yes, we wouldn't want you to tie up another pegasus knight, just so you could feel up their hair."

"To be fair, Cordy's hair was very soft." The princess snickered at the knight's designated nickname. "I should really ask how she takes such great care of her hair."

"I'm not sure if she'd be too keen on revealing that information, especially with what you put her through."

"Hey!" The tactician placed a hand over his heart and took a step back, acting as if he'd been struck. "I'll have know that Cordy and I had a wonderful discussion about the capital and its people!" He paused for a moment. "And I also won her a day off so she owes me, more or less."

Chrom chuckled, finding the tactician's antics delightful and humorous. It was certainly a nice change of pace, especially with everything that has been going on. Constant bandit attacks, a second Plegian war, and now soldiers coming back from the dead, it was safe to say that the princess had a lot on her plate. With that in mind, she greatly appreciates the tactician's jokes, it provides a nice solace from all of the action.

"Welp, I'll be going now. If anyone asks, by anyone I mean Freddy, tell them I'm just taking a stroll." With that, Robin turned away from the princess and made his way out the garrison.

"Wait." Chrom called out to the tactician. "Mind if I come along?"

"I don't mind the company." Robin shrugged nonchalantly. "But don't you have to rest up for tomorrow's march?"

"Don't you?" Chrom fired back. Her response evoking a smirk from the tactician.

"A fair point!" Robin stepped aside and motioned to the door with his hands. "After you, milady."

"My, what a gentleman." She chortled whilst performing a mock curtsy.

The two shepherds both proceeded out the garrison and into the capital of Ylisse. Chrom took in Ylisstol's nightly appearance, enjoying the quiet serenity in contrast to the city's daytime nature. Of course, the princess loved her city no matter the time of day, but she couldn't deny appreciating the calm of the night.

"It's a beautiful night, don't you agree?" The princess voiced, question directed at the tactician beside her.

Robin hummed at the princess's question, silently observing his surroundings. "I suppose, though I don't exactly have a point of reference to compare to. This is only my second night, after all."

"Well, how does this night compare to your first?"

"Seeing as my first night had earthquakes, magma rising from the ground, and undead abominations with the intention to kill me…" The tactician drawled, quirking a brow at the Ylissean royal. "I can certainly claim that this night is much quieter."

"I-I admit, that was a stupid question." Sheepishly scratching the back of her head, Chrom let out an embarrassed laugh.

"It's all fine and good, after spending almost two days with you, I know to expect some 'stupid' here and there." Robin admitted good-naturedly, smirking down at the princess.

"Hey!" Chrom reciprocated the tactician's statement by lightly punching the man's shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing." Robin said playfully. He leaned in and poked the princess's nose, which made her recoil in surprise. "A few thoughts had just crossed my mind is all."

"And just what are those 'few thoughts', hmm?" Chrom stopped in place, halting the two shepherd's stroll. She crossed her arms and shot the man an expectant look.

"One thought that has resurfaced from time to time is 'why did you decide to make an amnesiac the commanding officer of your military force?' Or something along those lines." Robin shrugged and matched the princess's look with his own. All of the tactician's previous playfulness had disappeared, in place was a neutral expression.

Chrom blinked at Robin's complete reversal in attitude. The tactician's current expression was something that the princess had experienced twice, namely, during the battle in Southtown and with the undead abominations. If Chrom were to choose one word to describe the expression, it would most definitely be 'serious'. The princess could not spot a hint of the tactician's usual playfulness, whatsoever.

Sensing the tension, Chrom decided to respond cordially. "During our skirmish in Southtown, you proved yourself to be a capable fighter with a strategic mind, your tactic being the deciding factor of the battle. Even though you lack knowledge of Ylisse, you fought to save Ylissean lives, at the risk of your own."

Robin looked unimpressed by Chrom's response. "It doesn't change the fact that you had knowingly left a Plegian in charge of the lives of your soldiers. I could have easily been feigning my amnesia just so I can lull you into a false sense of security." The tactician pressed, expression largely unchanged. "If I were anyone else, you'd likely be dead."

Honestly, Chrom should've felt insulted and threatened by the man's words. Robin had just insulted her intelligence and questioned her capabilities as a leader. Not only that, the tactician had brought up the possibility of being a Plegian spy and could easily strike if given the right moment.

Yet, the princess had appreciated the tactician's words. Blunt as they were, Chrom valued the fact that Robin was able to openly critique her abilities, instead of coddling her like so many would have. His words showed a certain level of trust and care for the princess, genuinely worried for her wellbeing. Chrom had already trusted the man, but his actions has completely confirmed that she had made the right choice recruiting him.

"You sound just like Frederick!" The princess laughed good-naturedly.

"Should I be insulted?" Robin questioned, quirking a brow. Chrom shook her head in amusement and walked in front of the tactician.

"I trust you."

"You trust a complete stranger to be in charge of your military force? A stranger without memories of his previous life and could easily lead your soldiers to certain doom?"

"I trust you."

"The events at Southtown could have easily been a fluke. There was no guarantee that I could recreate the same miracl-"

"I trust you."

"..."

"I trust you."

"I hope you understand." Robin spoke slowly. "That the repetition does little to assuage my worries."

"I trust…" She extended her hand and pointed at the tactician. "YOU!" With a small cry she poked the man's nose.

Robin blinked at the princess's actions for a few beats, until he allowed himself a short laugh and shook his head.

"Typical." Robin muttered to himself. He faced Chrom once again, this time his neutral expression morphing into something more amiable. His lips pressed into a genuine smile, eyes holding a certain…recognition? It was almost as if he had expected the princess to trust him, no matter what he said.

" _Smiling like that, he looks handso-_ " Chrome coughed into her fist. "So, anything else to say?"

"Nope, I guess I'll just have to get used to your altruistic and naive tendencies."

"That's more like it!" The two both let out a companionable laugh, enjoying one another's company. "Think we should head back to the garrison?"

"You go on without me, I still want to stroll for a bit more, get used to the area and all that."

"Alright." Chrom turned and retraced her steps back to the barracks. "Make sure you don't kidnap any pegasus knights!" She yelled over her shoulder.

"No promises!" Robin returned.

Letting out one more laugh, Chrom disappeared into the darkness, intending to rest up for the march to Regna Ferox.

* * *

Robin looked behind his shoulder, glancing furtively at the princess. Once she had left his sight, he immediately shifted his course and headed to the seedier parts of Ylisstol.

After a few minutes trekking along, he found the place he sought for. An old, rundown bar where only the most desperate of patrons would decide to visit. The tactician stepped inside, ignoring the looks that the occupants had gave him. He was only here for one certain individual.

His eyes scanned the interior of the bar, landing on a man who had seated himself at a lone table in a far corner.

The man leaned against his chair, feet resting on the table, hands intertwined behind his head, and lollipop sticking out of his mouth. Robin walked over to the man's table and seated himself on the additional chair.

Once seated, the man opened an eye, peeking through his mop of orange hair. "Can I help you?"

Robin smiled innocently. "You Gaius?"

The now named Gaius pulled the lollipop out of his mouth, giving Robin his half hearted attention. "Depends on who's asking."

Robin reached into his cloak and procured a small bag. Inside, revealed an assortment of tooth rotting candy.

"A potential employer."

* * *

A/N: There you go, chapter four! Hope you guys enjoyed it.

Now time for an announcement. I'll be returning to school very soon so chapters will likely come out a bit slower. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm dropping the story. I do plan on finishing it or at least the Ylisse-Plegia War, it'll just take a little longer.

I'll be honest, my original goal was for the story to only be around five chapters. I planned on skipping around the major parts of the game and whatnot. However, the reviews I've read motivated me to writing a full story. So thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows.


	5. Chapter 5

"Lissa, I already told you." Chrom fixed her younger sister a stern glare, arms crossed in attempts to appear intimidating. "The answer is no."

"And I'm telling YOU!" Lissa immediately fired back, matching her sister's glare with similar intensity. "That you're being unfair!" She stomped her foot to emphasize her irritation.

"If being unfair means that a fellow shepherd stays safe, then so be it." Chrom responded curtly, undeterred by her sister's vehemence

"What? Are you just going to keep him in the garrison for the rest of his life?!" Lissa questioned indignantly.

" _What a way to start the morning._ " Robin silently mused to himself. He, including the rest of the Shepherds, passively stared at the sisterly altercation from the sidelines. None of them were willing to put themselves between the royal siblings.

The sibling argument had all started during breakfast. While the Shepherds were enjoying their breakfast, Robin had decided to partake in one his favorite activity.

Staring at people.

Or observing people, people watching, he was a tactician after all.

The tactician observed his fellow Shepherds with no small amount of delight. Vaike attempted to both eat and regale one of his adventures to Virion, the fancy archer tried his best to hide his disgust. Sully and Stahl were locked in a contest of who could deplete the company's food supply first. Sumia had a small breakfast and decided to do some reading before the march, knowing the pegasus knight, she was likely reading smut. Frederick had yet to touch his breakfast as he was too busy cutting up Chrom's meal into bite-sized pieces, the princess had tried to deter her guardian's action with little results.

The only Shepherds that Robin couldn't find at the breakfast table were Miriel and Kellam. The former likely still in her room, too busy with an experiment that only Naga can hope to accurately interpret. The latter…possibly still in his room? Honestly, Kellam could be sitting at the breakfast table at this very moment. Even reliving his life several times, the tactician was still unable to make sense of how the knight was able to seemingly to disappear into thin air or blend in with his surroundings that he becomes virtually unnoticeable. Kellam should really consider becoming a thief or an assassin instead of a hulking knight.

In the end, Robin decided to not question it. There were some things that couldn't be explained whatsoever. One of those things being, why he had to relive his life for an indefinite amount of times. Hell if he knew.

Out of all the tactician's observations, there was one that actually surprised him. That one being the interaction between Lissa and Ricken. The twin-tailed princess was busy talking the mage's ear off, while the mage himself was content with simply nodding along, a pleasant smile on his lips. In Robin's previous lives, Lissa and Ricken weren't exactly the closest of friends. That didn't mean there was bad blood between the two, they were certainly companionable with one another, it was just that their interactions were usually limited. However, the two shepherds were now interacting extremely early into the campaign, this life was full of surprises.

Once breakfast had come to a close, Chrom had announced that it was about time to set out to Regna Ferox and asked everyone to prepare themselves. Before anyone had left, Lissa had decided to pipe up and suggested that Ricken should come along with the other Shepherds. Initially surprised by her sister's suggestion, Chrom had quickly collected herself and refused, claiming that the mage was too young for the journey. Lissa did not take this sitting down and continued to advocate for the mage to journey alongside the other Shepherds. One thing led to another and soon the simple disagreement became explosive.

"Does this sort of thing usually happen?" Robin asked to no one in particular, already knowing the answer.

"Well they are sisters, so it stands to reason for there to be some sibling quarrels here and there." Stahl sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Though, this argument does seem a bit more fierce."

"Yep! And it's all because of this little guy!" Vaike pulled Ricken into a headlock and playfully ruffled his hair.

"H-Hey! Let go of me!" Ricken yelled in anguish. With a bit of struggling, the mage managed to squeeze out of the fighter's grip.

"Sorry buddy!" Vaike released a good natured chuckle, lips curled up into a wide smile. "I'm just curious on how you got Lissa to argue for you, what's your secret?"

Ricken shot a brief glare at the fighter whilst straightening his hair. "There's no secret, Vaike. Lissa just visited my room last nigh-" His mouth immediately clamped shut, the mage exceedingly aware of the mistake he made.

"Last night?" Vaike repeated, his smile turning quite devilish.

"I-It's not what you think!" Ricken exclaimed, his cheeks turning an impressive scarlet. "She just came by to talk, that's it!"

"Uh huh." Vaike continued to stare at Ricken with the same evil smile. "I heard you two 'talking' throughout the entire night!" The fighter claimed unabashedly, emphasizing the word 'talking' with his fingers. "I couldn't sleep with all the noise!"

"V-Vaike, d-don't tease him too m-much." Stahl had tried to come to Ricken's rescue, but was too preoccupied stifling the bubbling laughter in his throat.

"Woah! Am I hearing this right?" Sully jumped in. "Did the squirt finally become a man?"

"How scandalous." Virion chimed in, eyes lit with mirth. "At such a young age as well."

"This reminds me of a novel I read last week…" Sumia giggled to herself, pink lightly dusting her cheeks.

"G-Guys please!" Ricken yelled, horrified at everyone's implication and comments. "We didn't do any of t-that!" The mage caught the tactician's gaze, silently pleading for Robin to intervene and grant him mercy from the Shepherd's teasing.

He should've known better.

"Did you use protection?"

The tactician's comment resulted in a bout of thunderous laughter from most of the surrounding shepherds. Ricken promptly hid his blazing face under his hat.

Robin chuckled at the ensuing chaos, silently apologizing to the poor mage. The tactician shifted his gaze towards Frederick, who had not taken part in the teasing. The knight simply shook his head and returned his attention towards the princesses. To Robin's mild surprise, the two royals had taken no notice of the Shepherd's separate conversation, absolutely enthralled with their own explosive argument.

Having relieved several lifetimes, Robin was more than privy to the numerous disagreements that would occur between Chrom and Lissa. Usually, arguments would be something minor, such as a prank that Lissa had decided to pull. Now however, the princesses' exchange seemed a bit more…raw, compared to normal.

" _Note to self, never come between the two sisters during an argument._ " Robin nodded to himself, resolute in his mental promise.

"Robin!" Lissa's eyes snapped to the tactician. "You're the tactician! Tell Chrom why she should bring Ricken with us!"

" _And like that, I'm between the two sisters during an argument… Nagadamnit."_ Robin internally groaned. He heard Ricken's teasings cease, the surrounding shepherds now had their eyes on the tactician, effectively putting him on the spot. Chrom didn't say anything, but she did give him an expectant look, silently asking the tactician to take her side in the argument.

"Why am I getting dragged into this?" The tactician questioned incredulously.

"You are the tactician of this force." Frederick decided to speak for the first time, turning his face away from Robin. "I believe it would be best to ask for your input before making any drastic decisions."

" _Don't think I don't see that shit-eating grin, Frederick._ " The tactician scowled at the upturned corner of the great knight's lips. Robin released a sigh and closed his eyes, contemplating on how he should respond.

A brief moment passed, before the tactician's eyes snapped open and zeroed in on the blue-haired princess. "I'd say just let Ricken go."

Robin's answer was simple and clean. Chrom's response was not.

"What?" For the second time today, Chrom was surprised by another one of her Shepherds. "Ricken is still too young to partake in a mission, especially something as delicate as forming an alliance with Regna Ferox."

"He's only a year younger than me!" Lissa interjected. "And he's been studying magic for countless of nights, he's ready for a real mission!" Chrom opened her mouth, ready to retort her sister, but was cut off by a high pitched whistle.

Robin pulled his fingers out of his mouth and gave the Ylissean royals a blank stare. "Hey, the adult is talking here." The tactician received two glares for his quip. He promptly ignored the gazes, in favor of looking towards the blue-haired princess. "Chrom, I understand what you're getting at. You're concerned for the wellbeing of a fellow shepherd and you would risk your life if they were in danger, correct?"

"In a heartbeat." The blue-haired princess immediately agreed, eliciting a grin from the tactician. Chrom was many things, brash, emotional, and sometimes a bit dense, but no one can deny the love she holds for her Shepherds.

"A fine answer, a great attribute for any leader." Chrom smiled at the praise. "Though I have to ask, why did you allow Ricken to join the Shepherds?"

Chrom knitted her brows. "I made Ricken a Shepherd because I saw that he had potential and was passionate about aiding Ylisse." The princess spoke slowly, unsure of the tactician's intentions.

"Then why keep Ricken in the garrison?"

"Like I told Lissa, Ricken is still too young for a mission."

"I doubt a bandit would bother asking for someone's age when they're busy cutting them down." Robin returned darkly, maintaining direct eye contact with the blue-haired princess. Chrom kept her mouth shut, both from surprise and unsure how to react to the tactician's response. "Lissa makes a fair point, surely you could overlook Ricken's age during times of war, especially if he himself is willing to come along."

"He lacks experience." Chrom tried.

"And he won't be gaining any experience if he's stuck in his room the entire time." Robin countered. "You can keep forcing Ricken to study for as long as you want, but it won't be like the real thing." He paused. "I should know, I fought two battles yesterday."

Chrom hummed at the tactician's words. She placed a hand under her chin and silently contemplated to herself. "Then what would you suggest?"

"Bring him along, give him a taste of what a real mission is like." Robin answered simply. "You claim that he has potential, so allow Ricken to prove himself as a Shepherd." Chrom didn't respond immediately, her expression told the tactician that she wasn't entirely convinced. "Look, I know that you're worried about his safety, but don't forget that there are eight other shepherds who are capable of watching his back."

Vaike clapped a hand on Ricken's shoulder. "Yeah! Ain't no one getting passed the teach!" The fighter finished his claim with a flash of his pearly whites. The other shepherds nodded and gave Chrom their own form of affirmation.

Chrom stared at her fellow warriors for a moment, her eyes scanning each face individually until stopping on the mage in question. "Ricken, do you believe that you are ready to partake in this march?"

In turn, Ricken bobbed his head fervently. "Yes, I've practiced my spells nonstop ever since I've became a Shepherd and I promise not to disappoint!" Chrom smiled at the mage's enthusiasm.

"Welcome aboard Ricken." The princess turned her sights to the other occupants of the room. "Shepherds, pack your things! We've lost enough time this morning so we'll be leaving immediately, once everyone has their things!" With that, Chrom and the other shepherds head towards the armory or bedchambers, ready to prepare for the long trek to Regna Ferox.

"Robin!" Two dainty hands clapped onto the sides of the tactician's face. "How did you do that?!" Lissa screamed to his face.

"Do what?" Robin answered nonchalantly, uncaring of the sudden contact and volume.

"You just convinced my sister to let Ricken come with us!" Lissa screamed once again, lightly shaking the tactician's head. "I've never won an argument with her!"

Robin lightly grasped the princess's hands and removed them from his cheeks. "Maybe you should try not screaming during an argument." He advised cheekily. The tactician proceeded to mimic the princess's action, pressing his palms on both of the princess's cheeks. "Also is this a Ylissean greeting or something?"

The princess giggled at the tactician's question. "Yes Robin, this is a Ylissean greeting that expresses long-life and prosperity." She answered jokingly.

"I see…" Robin mused to himself, choosing not to pick up on the obvious sarcasm.

"Um…Robin?" A voice sounded to the right of the tactician. Robin turned his head and came face-to-face with a young mage.

"Ricken? Thought you'd be clamoring for your things right now."

"Yeah! What are you doing?" Lissa removed herself from Robin's grip and rushed towards the mage, her hands clamped down on his shoulders. "Why aren't you packing up? You're going on your first mission!" She yelled whilst shaking the boy.

"S-Stop shaking me!" Lissa eventually let the boy go, giving him a sheepish look. Ricken quickly steadied himself and turned to Robin. "I just wanted to thank you, Robin. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to participate in the march."

"Enough of that." The tactician waved off the mage's gratitude. "Just be sure to kick some ass and I'll be happy."

Ricken blinked at the casual dismissal, unsure how to react. "Uh…I'll be sure to do that?"

"Ok!" Lissa cheered. "With that out of the way, I'm gonna go pack up. See you guys in a bit!" The princess turned and skipped towards her room, humming a tune along the way.

"She seems to be in a good mood." Robin mused aloud. Ricken couldn't help but nod, agreeing with the tactician's sentiment. "Now that we're alone, what did happen between you and Lissa?" The tactician grinned down at the young shepherd.

Ricken allowed himself a long sigh, the tactician could feel the pure exasperation. "For one thing, we didn't do _that_."

"That?" Robin parroted with feigned ignorance.

"You know what I'm referring to, mister _Did you use protection?_ " The mage glared up at the tactician, who raised his hands in defense.

"Just making sure is all, don't want to be a parent at this age, right?"

Ricken groaned into his hands. "We just talked, ok? End of story."

"Fine, fine, I believe you. Now get packing, don't want to be left behind." Robin pushed the mage along towards the armory and bedchambers.

"What about you?" The mage's question prompted the tactician to part a segment of his cloak, revealing a newly acquired steel, sword strapped to his waist. Alongside the blade was an elthunder tome, replacing his worned, thunder tome.

"Already done, a tactician is always prepared." Robin stated, head held proudly.

"I can see that." Ricken conceded, taking in the two items strapped to the tactician's waist. "I'll go pack my things then and thanks again."

The young mage disappeared into the halls of the garrison, leaving Robin to himself. A serious expression overtook the tactician's visage. He glared at floor and stroke his chin.

"Hmm…what's a good shipping name for Ricken and Lissa?" Robin pondered aloud.

Half an hour flew by and now the Shepherds were in front of the city gates. Horses and wagons were prepared, each strewn with various sorts of equipment and supplies for the Shepherd's oncoming march. The company of warriors stood beside one another, conversing to themselves as they waited for Chrom to announce their departure. Everyone had been adequately prepared, assortments of weapons and armor could be found on each shepherd's person.

" _Well, mostly everyone._ " Robin thought to himself. The tactician eyed the person beside him, finding that the man did not have single weapon on his person. A sigh escaped his mouth. " _Some things never change._ "

"Couldn't help but noticed that you've been staring at Teach's muscles!" Vaike announced overly loud, attracting the interest of the surrounding shepherds. "Should I be flattered?" He questioned cheekily, wiggling his eyebrows at the tactician.

It was obvious that Vaike's intention was to garner a rise out of Robin, possibly getting the tactician to flush crimson and to spew out several lines of denials. It was certainly in the fighter's character to tease as many people as he humanly can. Sadly for Vaike, Robin is used to the fighter's antics by now.

"I wasn't staring at your muscles." Robin spoke plainly, showing that he was unaffected by man's taunt. "Though, now that you mention it…" The tactician gave Vaike an exaggerated once-over.

"U-Umm…" Vaike stammered, taken aback by the brazen scrutinization.

"Wouldn't mind running my hand along those abs." The tactician purred not-so quietly.

"S-So, why were you eyeing me?" Vaike hastily changed the subject once he felt his cheeks lightly pinked. He could hear low laughter from the bystanding shepherds.

"Couldn't help but noticed that you're without a weapon." Robin answered matter of factly. No matter what life, Vaike would always forget to pack his damn axe.

" _The Vaike never forgets my ass!_ "

"What?!" Vaike allowed his hands to search his person in attempts to locate his weapon of choice. "Crap! Must've left it back at the garrison! I gotta be qu-"

A cough interrupted the fighter's frantic rambling. Robin and Vaike both turned to the source and found that it was Miriel, another mage a part of the Shepherds. "I believe that I am in possession of what you seek." With both her hands, she brought a steel axe forth.

Vaike snatched the axe from the woman's hands. "Miriel, you're a lifesaver!" He securely strapped his preferred weapon onto his back.

Miriel turned her sights onto Robin. "Are you perhaps the Plegian that is to act as the designated tactician for this venture?"

"That's right! My job is to make sure the killings are only happening to the other side." Robin smiled. "Name's Robin."

"My name is Miriel and I am the leading mage of the Shepherds." Before the tactician could get in another word, Miriel decided to summarize her abilities and talents. "Though I am able to employ the use of a diverse assortment of tomes, I hold a certain affinity for those of the scorching variety. It is recommended to keep my person at a distance during any hostile altercation so I may properly utilize my magic talents. While I am not particularly adept in battlefield decorum, you may come to me for any advice. May our collaboration prove fruitful." She gave the tactician a curt bow and excused herself. Both Robin and Vaike stared at her retreating form for a moment.

"That's Miriel for you!" Vaike laughed goodnaturedly.

"Shepherds!" Chrom's voice attracted each and every Shepherd. "We'll be leaving at this moment. Is everyone ready?" The princess waited for a chorus of affirmation from her fellow warriors. "Then let us be off!" She turned and marched in the direction of Regna Ferox with the company following closely behind.

" _Huh?_ " Robin thought to himself. " _Can't help but feel like I'm forgetting something._ "

* * *

" _Armor…_ " The knight tightened the straps of his bulky armor. " _...Check."_

" _Lance…_ " He grabbed his steel lance and gave it a slight twirl. "... _Check._ "

"Ok." Kellam decided to voice aloud, smile present on his features. "I'm all set for the march to Regna Ferox." The knight made his way out of the armory, an extra spring in his steps.

Kellam was excited for the march, to say the least. This mission was his best chance to finally be able to make himself known to everyone. Time and time again, the knight has been forgotten, his presence and actions largely ignored throughout his career as a Shepherd. Not anymore, Kellam was resolute in proving that he was indeed a valuable member and he refused to be so easily forgotten! He will give his all in the oncoming march, voice his opinions in discussions, take initiative in any possible battles, anything to make himself be noti-

"Where is everybody?" Kellam wondered. Having left the armory, the knight stepped into the garrison's common room. His eyes quickly scanned the interior of the room and found the area to be barren.

The knight's momentary confusion soon melted away, in place, bitter realization.

" _They left me behind…again."_

Kellam felt the sudden urge to snap his lance in half.

* * *

Now, Frederick wasn't someone who would haphazardly throw around the word 'hate' when describing his feelings for a certain situation or person. However, taking account of his current predicament, coupled with a day of nearly restless travel, the knight found the word 'hate' to be more and more desirable as time continues to persist. Frederick allowed his piercing eyes to leave the dirt-covered roads, opting to instead glare at the pair of arms that were wrapped securely around his waist.

"You know, you're surprisingly comfortable to hug, Freddybear." Robin mumbled contently, his body pressed firmly against the knight's back.

"You are embracing solid armor." Frederick gritted.

"So comfy…" Robin moaned, burying his face deeper into the knight's armored shoulder.

There was no doubt in his mind, Frederick hated this.

It had been only a day since the Shepherds left Ylisstol, the journey to Regna Ferox had been largely uneventful. Understandable, seeing as the party were still in Ylissean land and brigands would make themselves scarce in the presence of the entire Shepherd force. They were also making decent time, all things considered. Even with the sisterly quarrel from the morning before, the Shepherds were nearing the Ylissean border and with a few more hours of travel, they would officially be on Feroxi lands. It was a peaceful march, something Frederick greatly appreciated.

There were some individuals who weren't content with the serenity. One of those accursed individual had his arms wrapped around said knight. To the surprise of no one, Robin was not satisfied with the lack of action and had brought it upon himself to stir up trouble. Sadly for the knight, he became a victim of the tactician's antics. Frederick felt his face flush at the light titters resonating from the surrounding people. Each Shepherd took immense pleasure from the tactician's suggestive cuddling and the knight's embarrassment.

Frederick's glare intensified, hoping the pair of arms would set aflame if he stared long enough. To the knight's immeasurable disappointment, they did not.

"Tactician."

"Mmm?"

"Why?"

"I already told you, Freddybear. I'm tired from all the walking."

"You were in the wagon the entire time."

"Semantics."

Frederick felt the urge to elbow Robin in the stomach and throw him off his horse, but he endured. His eyes flickered towards Chrom, who had opted to walk alongside the horses and wagons. The princess had a large smile and her eyes were filled with unrestrained delight. She was having fun, Frederick could not fault her for that.

Frederick looked away and sighed. " _I will endure…for her._ "

"Aww, don't act like that." Robin poked the knight's cheek. "I just want to get closer to you. Is that so wrong?"

"Yes." Frederick answered tersely. Robin laughed at the response and unlinked himself from the knight's waist.

"Fine, fine." The tactician scooched back, granting the knight his personal space. "If you're not fond of physical affection, mind answering some questions for me?"

Frederick tensed at that, now very alert. "What sort of questions?" He turned and shot the tactician an accusing stare.

"Just some general things on the Shepherds, promise!" Robin allowed himself another laugh and waved off the knight's stare. "I already know that you, Sully, Virion, and the princesses are capable in a battle…" He motioned to the rest of the company. "...but I'm not too familiar with anyone else. Seeing as I'm the tactician…"

"You would like to assess the other's combative abilities." Frederick finished, returning his gaze to the road. "Proceed with your questions."

"I'll start with the one I'm most concerned for, Sumia."

Frederick nodded understandably. "I admit, on her feet, Sumia is one of the worst fighters. She has a history of being accident-prone, which would prove detrimental in battle."

"Then why keep her in the Shepherds?"

"She is not completely defenseless." Frederick defended. "While her footwork is unsatisfactory, her proficiency with a lance is able to compete with Sully and even my own. Her lack of a proper mount is what cripples her potential."

"So she needs a mount. She's a pegasus knight, correct?"

"Yes. With a well trained pegasus, coupled with her calming presence and genuine need for justice, she would undoubtedly be a valuable Shepherd."

Robin hummed thoughtfully. "You seem to hold her in high regard." Frederick couldn't see the tactician, but he could feel the man smiling behind him.

"I suppose." Frederick narrowed his eyes. "She is a fellow Shepherd and a close acquaintance of mine."

"A close acquaintance?" Robin snorted, unconvinced. "From what I saw a few days before, you and Sumia seemed to be a bit more than just acquaintances."

Frederick rolled his eyes, absolutely unamused with what Robin was insinuating. "I ask you to stop your ill-founded insinuations, she was a shepherd in need, that is all."

"Oh? So if were to trip and cover myself in dirt, should I expect you to come to my side with your handkerchief at the ready?" Frederick opened his mouth, but decided to close it after a moment of deliberating. "I thought so." Robin smiled smugly.

"Enough." Frederick huffed tiredly, the tactician had the uncanny ability to tire anyone he interacts with. "Move on to your next inquiry."

"Nah, I'm good."

"What?"

"Just wanted to talk about Sumia, I'll assess the others another time." Robin shrugged. Frederick felt the tactician close the miniscule distance between them and rewrapped his arms around his waist. "For now, I'm content with this." He purred lowly.

The knight's eye twitched, he did not appreciate the pitch of the tactician's voice. "Must you continue to invade my personal space? Is there a reason behind your unwarranted intimacy?"

To Frederick's surprise, he felt the tactician turn rigid. The grip around the knight's waist tightened in an almost desperate manner. Looking over his shoulder, Frederick found the tactician's usual playfulness absent, in place was a somber expression.

Robin blankly stared off to the side, a faraway look in his eyes. "No…no reason." he answered, his tone unusually clipped. Frederick gazed curiously at the tactician and made to question his sudden shift in mood.

"Risen!" Chrom's voice ripped through the crowd of Shepherds.

Frederick and Robin whipped their heads towards the road. In front of them were a horde of undead abominations, now referred to as Risen. Each one of the revived warriors eyed the shepherds with killer intent.

Frederick cursed under his breath and reached for his silver lance, which was strapped to the side of his horse. Robin unhooked himself from the knight and jumped off the horse. The tactician's eyes became sharp as he observed the opposing force, meticulously taking note of each Risen and their weapon of choice. He cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Everyone! Get your asses over here!" The tactician waited for the Shepherds to surround him. "Our enemies are tightly knitted together and it won't end well if we decide to attack them headfirst." Robin turned his attention to the cavaliers. "I need those on horseback to charge through the enemy ranks, breaking their formation." The three sole cavaliers nodded at the tactician's words. "Once the Risen are scattered, the rest of us will pick them off one by one. Any complaints?"

"On your mark, Robin." Chrom unsheathed her Falchion. Robin faced Sumia.

"Sumia, you're going to ride with Fred."

"Huh?!" The pegasus knight jumped at the command. She glanced at Frederick, cheeks dusted pink, then back to Robin. "U-Umm…why?"

"Don't mean to be rude, but you can barely stand much less fight on your two feet." Robin answered bluntly, causing Sumia to look away in shame.

The knight frowned at Sumia's forlorn look. He turned to the Robin and shot the man a heated glare. While Frederick himself had admitted that Sumia was unsatisfactory as a fighter, it did not give the tactician the excuse to humiliate her. Frederick opened his mouth with the intention of defending his fellow Shepherd.

"But…" Robin continued, smiling up at Frederick, prompting the knight to clamp his mouth shut. "Ferrari here, told me that you are quite proficient with the lance, even claiming that you may even match him in skill."

"O-Oh! T-That's quite nice of him." She gave the knight a genuine smile, flashing him her pearly teeth. Frederick found that he couldn't hold her gaze for too long.

Robin moved behind Sumia and edged her towards the great knight. "That's why I'm making you fight alongside him. With his guidance, I am positive that you will thrive in the oncoming battle."

"Will that be fine, Frederick?" Sumia looked up at the great knight.

"Of course." Frederick said easily. "You will undoubtedly be a great partner." Sumia bowed her head and gingerly climbed up the armored horse. She made sure to give Frederick ample space on the horse, something which Robin disagreed with.

"Make sure to hold on tightly!" Robin piped up. He guided one of Sumia's hand around Frederick's waist. "Don't want to fall, do you?"

"I-I suppose not." She stuttered. Frederick narrowed his eyes at the tactician, hoping to burn a hole into his person.

"Ok!" Robin clapped his hand. "Cavaliers, charge!" In a single beat, Frederick, Sully, and Stahl charged towards the Risen. Each knight had their weapons drawn, ready to cleave through their enemies.

Frederick could faintly hear Robin yell, "Have fun you two!"

* * *

A Risen fighter snarled at the Shepherd's designated tactician, red eyes glaring hatefully as it nurses the nub where it's right arm used to be. Robin casually walked past his opponent, with a flick of the wrist, the Risen's head fell to floor. He allowed himself a moment to stare at the dissipating body, before turning his attention to the rest of the battlefield, wanting to observe each Shepherd's conditions.

Vaike leapt into the air and bisected a Risen mercenary with a single blow. "That makes seven for Teach!" He laughed, hefting his axe on his shoulder. "How about you, Chrom? How many did you get?" Vaike turned towards the princess, who was dealing with her own opponent.

"Is this really the time? Besides…" Chrom lunged toward the Risen fighter, impaling Falchion though her enemy's chest. With a twist, she pushed the corpse off of her sword. "...I'm winning, eleven."

"Eleven?!" Vaike gaped at the smirking princess. "That just means I'll have to get serious!" The axe-wielding fighter proceeded to charge the closest Risen, with the princess following behind.

"Seems about right." Robin muttered to himself, ever so familiar with the competitive streak of both Chrom and Vaike, mostly Vaike. The tactician glanced at corpses surrounding him. "Fifteen."

The cavaliers executed their orders perfectly, effortlessly breaking the formation of the opposing force. With the Risen scattered, the remaining shepherds wholeheartedly took advantage of the Risen's disarray and tore through a majority of their forces. It was obvious that this battle was in the Shepherd's favor, and if everyone could keep this momentum, they would assuredly come out victorious.

Robin zeroed onto Frederick and Sumia, who were making quick work with any Risen who had the misfortune of being in their line of sight. The man couldn't help but feel a little proud as he observed how fluently the two knights were dispatching their foes, mentally patting his back on successfully pairing the two shepherds. Admittedly, the tactician was anything but subtle, when he had decided to make Sumia share Frederick's horse, but he couldn't question the results. Robin was fully intent on fulfilling his personal quest of pairing every one of his fellow shepherds, even if it kills him!

All-in-all, everything was going we-

"Woah!" Ricken yelled in surprise, narrowly avoiding a swing from a Risen who had managed to sneak up on him.

" _Shit._ " Robin brandished his elthunder tome, electricity sifting through its pages. Balling his hand into a fist, he fired a condensed bolt of lightning towards the unexpecting foe. The Risen slumped to the ground, its head blown clean off.

"Are you alright?" The tactician ran up to the mage's side, eyes darting for any sort of injuries.

"I-I'm fine, just caught me by surprised." Ricken puffed, hand over his hammering heart. Robin narrowed his eyes on the mage's appearance, taking note on the boy's alarmingly, pale complexion.

"Ricken, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Ricken shifted his eyes away from the tactician. "Let's get back to the ba-"

"Ricken." Robin interrupted, voice becoming stern and almost scolding. "I'm a tactician, my job is to be perceptive." He looked into the mage's eyes. "What is wrong."

Ricken held Robin's gaze for a moment, before sighing dejectedly. "It's just that, this is my first battle and well…"

"I see." Robin nodded sagely. "This is the first time you've participated in a battle of this scale, it's understandable t-"

"No, that's not it." Ricken shook his head. "From the moment I joined the Shepherds, I spent the majority of my time preparing to fight bandits and brigands, not…not those _things_."

Robin looked towards the Risen forces and bit the lower part of his lips. He had made a mistake. Ricken had prepared himself to faceoff against normal bandits, not resurrected abominations. The mage hadn't even known that these sort of monsters had existed until today, and now he was in direct confrontation.

Ricken had never join them this early into the Plegian campaign. The mage's first taste of battle had always been at Border Pass, where the Shepherds were there to negotiate Maribelle's captivity. More importantly, his first battle were against regular humans, not Risen. In the tactician's previous lives, Ricken had ample time to get used to the groove of battle and could easily transition from fighting bandits to Risen. Not this life, however. Ricken was still green and now face-to-face against a threat that he never thought had existed, against a threat that he never prepared for. Book smarts and late night studies can only get a person so far.

"Ricken! Take a look at that body." Robin nodded towards the dissipating corpse that he had destroyed with his elthunder tome. "Tell me, what did I do to it?"

"What?" Ricken looked toward that tactician curiously.

"I killed it." The tactician answered bluntly. He raised his hand and allowed electricity to dance between his fingers. "With only a single cast."

"You did…" The boy spoke slowly.

"In Southtown, I fought against bandits. They were dispatched in a similar manner." Robin's gaze pierced into the mage. "With little effort."

"Why…why are you tell me this?"

"In battle, bandits and Risen are not too different." Robin trained his sights onto a lone Risen mercenary. With a simple motion, a bolt of lightning flew from the tactician's fingertips, dropping the mercenary instantly. "Both can be cut. Both can be burned. Both can die. I want you to remember that no matter what form your enemies take, they can be stopped, one way or another."

Silence overtook the two shepherds, one of them staying vigilant of any enemies, the other slowly digesting the information he had received. Robin was never one for comforting people, but he hoped that Ricken could find some sort of wisdom from his words.

"Thank you, Robin." Ricken broke the silence after a few beats, his face gaining back some color. "I think I'm ready to return to battle."

"That's good to hear." The tactician smiled down at the mage. "I need you to provide Lissa support, think you can do that?"

"Yes sir!" Ricken scurried towards the twin-tailed princess.

"While you're at it, make sure to profess your love for her!" Ricken almost tripped.

"What?!"

"Nothing!"

* * *

A/N: Here's another chapter, hope you guys are still sticking around! Felt that some areas of the chapter were sort of lacking, namely the interaction between Robin and Ricken so apologies in advance. Next chapter, will take place in Regna Ferox.

Also poor Kellam.

Thanks for reading.


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